allergy to hot food what are the side effects?

Question

Mom has been getting rashes when she eats hot/spicy food..
She is trying to stay away from them because of that, but is worried about accidental consumption and how dangerous it could actually be?

It's not MSG.. she doesn't like chinese.. and she gets reactions even after eating plain peppers.. well.. hot peppers.. with nothing on them..

It's NOT MSG!! We don't eat out too often.. I do more than my parents anyways... she makes everything from scratch.. all the time..

Answer 1

Not to scare you, but food allergies can at any time go from "small rashes" to full anaphyactic shock. So this could be deadly dangerous.

For a full list of possible allergy symptoms she may have due to exposure:
http://www.womentowomen.com/inflammation/allergysymptoms.asp

Knowing why she is reacting to peppers is going to help and I do advise that she get food allergy testing done asap.

Peppers (except black & white pepper) are in the nightshade family. If she is allergic to peppers, her chances of being allergic to other members of the nightshade family increases.

Nightshades include: regular potatoes (not sweet potatoes), tomatoes, sweet & hot peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, paprika, Tabasco, and tobacco.

She may only just be allergic to peppers, but I thought I'd warn you about other possibilites for which to watch. Black & White pepper is in a total different family, and she should not have to avoid it unless she is also reactive to it as well. If she is, they would be separate allergies and not related.

Peppers can be hard to avoid (I know I avoid them too), and she's going to have to ask at restaurants to make certain no peppers make it into her food.

She'll also need to watch products labeled with the ingredient: Spices. As that could include anything, including peppers, which might cause a rather scary reaction one of these times.

She will also want to stay away from cooking peppers, as the fumes from the food will also cause a reaction. So no peppers in the house, and she'll probably have to avoid Mexican restuarants and such.

Wish her good luck for me.

Answer 2

Well, sounds like an MSG reaction... which can be serious (it is also called 'Chinese food syndrome'). Check labels carefully... Get checked by an allergist. I had this (and still avoid MSG if I can, although I was sucessfully treated for the allergy)- it varies from person to person but can be really bad. check out the links below.

Recent studies have shown that allergies stemming from the intake of MSG can cause birth defects, and numbness of limbs. [citation needed] MSG consumption has been linked to Fibromyalgia syndrome and its related symptoms (including tenderness and pain at trigger point sites, fatigue, sleep disorders, and irritable bowel syndrome).[4]
(From the Wikipedia article)

Answer 3

That sounds like an allergy to me. It can be life threatening. My suggestion is go to the allergist and get a RAST test done to see what she is allergic to. Always have Benadryl on hand. If her throat starts to close up, by all means take her to the ER. She is probably allergic to certain spices or foods. My suggestion is go to the allergist and find out what she's allergic too and also ask the allergist for a prescription of an EpiPen and that helps a lot. I went on vacation and I developed an allergic reaction to seafood and I turned red and my body temperature became hot and I was sweating and started getting a rash and lucky my mom gave me Benadryl.

Answer 4

She is probably capsaicin sensitive. Food allergies differ from person to person. One person may feel lite effects and the next person may drop dead. Seeing a doctor in person is the best thing to do. Are you sure it's not MSG? American food has more MSG in it than Chinese food. KFC and most fried chicken is loaded with the stuff. It also in ranch dressing, crackers, Dorito's, instant mashed potatoes, etc.