Anaphylaxis Food allergy - Its Symptoms And Treatment

Any person will never realize if he/she is allergic to a kind food unless and until they have consumed the food allergen. For the reaction to happen and create a symptom it requires a certain quantity of food.

Anaphylaxis and allergy caused by food are related closely. They do have their differences and their own definitions.

A person could develop an allergic reaction to the food which is related closely to the original allergy that he/she has. An allergy, say, to oysters could lead to allergic reactions when a person takes fish, shrimp or crabs.

A person’s immune system tends to react in 2 ways when he/she has food allergy. The body may or may not respond to the use of mast cells. The mast cells can be found in any part of the body but it is most likely to be found in eyes, skin, lungs, and throat and especially in the areas of gastrointestinal system. The other kind of response is by the releasing of immunoglobulin E by the body. These antibodies travel across the blood system. Then it causes the discharge of the chemical histamine which in turn causes the allergic reactions to activate in the body parts that were mentioned above.


Anaphylaxis is derived from the words phylaxis and ana which mean protection and back in Greek. The abrupt response for this allergy is greater in degree strength than the normal allergy that can be vital to the sufferer. Main causes for anaphylaxis are the latex which is in contact with the skin, insect stings, food anaphylaxis and medications. There may be even unknown causes.


Anaphylaxis involves the reaction, like in allergy caused by food, of different body parts. The main difference is that only a limited amount of allergen and intensity of the response is required for this reaction to happen.

Anaphylaxis could come about by the intake of skin contact, inhalation of (food) aroma, food, etc. anaphylactic shock is the type of anaphylaxis which is life threatening. Only a meager amount of allergen is required to cause death to the person within few minutes of exposure in anaphylactic shock.

People who have a bad history of allergy to asthma, eczema and food are the ones who are in danger of getting this anaphylactic reaction. These reactions are fatal creating a sense of fear. Another group of individuals who are at risk of anaphylaxis are teenagers who are affected with a certain kind of food allergy present especially in junk foods. This because of the fact that these teenagers tend to eat outside very often, are experimental and daring in their new endeavors and so they fail to find the symptoms of this dangerous reaction. To add to these woes teenagers often forget to carry important medications which is caused due to self- consciousness.

Anaphylaxis symptoms are alike to that of allergies caused by foods. The process of anaphylaxis initially gears up with an irritating or itchy sensation and few individuals experience different kinds of irritation. Anaphylactic symptoms also include sudden warm feeling, labored breathing, inflammation of the oral cavity and throat dyspnea, hot flashes, diarrhea, hives, and loss of consciousness, fainting, gastric irritations and low blood pressure.

There are several cases where symptoms fade away for quite sometime but gradually come back in 2 to 3 hours. This is called biphasic reaction.

To prevent or avoid anaphylactic reactions and food allergy diet modifications, proper scrutiny of food labels, specific instructions in orders taken in restaurants and certain type of medications could help you in minimizing the reaction that takes place. Moreover, Consultation of the physician is very important and advisable for carrying out an efficient and systematic management plan. This allergy can also be caused by hereditary genes.