Allergy Testing and Anaphylaxis

If you suspect that you suffer from a food allergy, you can undergo allergy testing.

Allergy testing will confirm your suspicions or rule out an allergic reaction as the reason for the symptoms you are experiencing.

If you discover that you suffer from an allergy to a certain food, anaphylaxis is a serious symptom that could occur as an allergic reaction.

You are also likely to be allergic to foods that are closely related to your original allergy. If you find that you are allergic to oysters for example, it is likely that you will also be allergic to shrimp, crabs, and probably most shellfish.

If you have a food allergy, your immune system will react in two ways:

Your body can respond using mast cells that can be found in the lungs, throat, eyes, skin and GI tract.

The other type of response is through the body's release of immunoglobulin E antibodies that travel through the blood system.

This leads to the release of the chemical histamine that causes the allergic reactions in the lungs, throat, eyes, skin and GI tract.

Anaphylaxis is the abrupt allergic response that is much more intense than the actual allergy itself and can lead to death.

The main causes of anaphylactic reactions are insect stings, skin contact to latex, medications and food as well as unknown causes.

Anaphylaxis is an extremely intense reaction that can be triggered by a very small amount of allergen.

It can take a few seconds or a few hours after exposure to the allergen for the reaction to occur.

Anaphylaxis can be triggered by something as simple as the vapours containing a particular allergen.

Anaphylactic shock is the type of anaphylaxis that can kill.

In anaphylactic shock, only a tiny amount of the food allergen is needed to cause death to the sufferer within moments of exposure.

If you have a history of allergy to food, asthma, and eczema you are more likely to experience an anaphylactic reaction that could be fatal.

The symptoms of anaphylaxis usually start with an itchy or irritating sensation, and there may also be a metallic after-taste.

Anaphylactic symptoms can also include hot flushes or sudden warm feeling, inflammation of the throat and oral cavity, hives, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, diarrhoea, gastric irritations, and fainting or loss of consciousness.

Occasionally the symptoms can improve for a short while but then come back within a few hours; this incidence is known as biphasic reaction.

To prevent food allergy and anaphylactic reactions, you should read all food labels very carefully, modify your diet to avoid the allergens and be very careful when ordering food in restaurants