Are the signs of food allergies distinct?

Question

Are the characteristics or signs of food allergies distinct or different than the signs of other allergies?

Answer 1

Its honestly different with every person, but generally food allergies cause a much broader spectrum of symptoms.

Mild food allergies can cause the same symptoms in people that seasonal allergies cause.. such as runny nose, watery eyes, and cough.

In others, food allergies cause severe breathing problems or full body hives.

For a broad list of symptoms of allergies go to the following link:
http://www.womentowomen.com/inflammation/allergysymptoms.asp

All of these can be caused by or a side effect of food allergies, but not everyone has every symptom.

One person can have mild hives, eczema, and depression.
Another can have runny nose, digestive problems, and uncontrollable weight loss.
And yet another, can exhibit signs of mental slowness, digestive problems, fatigue, and weight gain.

Though all allergic reactions of any kind can have the same broad variety of signs, but generally food allergies have the broadest variety.

To know for sure if you have an allergy though, go get tested. If you suspect anything, avoid it for a few weeks, then trial it. Just have liquid benadryl handy & someone there to rush you to the ER when you do. :) Safety first.

Answer 2

My son has a sever allergy to peanuts of course to find this out you have to experience it. Severe reactions are called Anaphylactic. This means that it effects the breathing of a patient. A severe reaction no matter what the cause is anaphylactic shock. This is respiratory distress. Moderate is hives itching and a rash. Epi pen is a pen that dispenses a certain amount of epinephrine into the blood stream.Epinephrine helps you breathe by relaxing constricted airways in the lungs. It also reverses falling B/P by constricting smaller blood vessels.. My MD always said that if we had to use the Epi pen to get to the ER as soon as possible. I am not sure if it will wear off or not.

Answer 3

My son has food allergies and airborn allergies. With airborn allergies he gets the sneezy, itchy eyes, and sometimes even a cough. With the food allergies, this is something way more serious. He is allergic to tree nuts. We found out when he ate one chocolate covered cashew and whelps surrounded his mouth and he was grasping at his throat having a hard time breathing. So in our case, the two are different and food allergies are very distinct for us.

Answer 4

Food allergies tend to have different effects from air-borne allergies, but the symptoms can overlap. All allergies tend to start in the place where the allergen first comes into contact with the body, so effects of air-borne allergies tend to affect the respiratory system, food allergies in the digestive tract, and contact allergies in places where you touched the allergen. Food allergies tend to start with things like puffy lips, tingling in the mouth and throat and intestinal distress.

Food allergies also tend to have broader systemic effects than air-borne allergies. All of the allergies can cause reactions that progress beyond the initial area, causing hives, itching, burning, or other sensations. Any allergic reaction can also potentially cascade into anaphylactic shock.