When Seasonal Allergies Morph Into More
Pollen can react with foods and affect the mouth, face and throat

(HealthDay News) -- People with seasonal allergies who notice a tingling sensation in their mouth may need to pay closer attention to what they're eating.

That's because ragweed and other airborne allergens can react with certain foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, resulting in itching, tingling and even swelling of the mouth, lips, face and throat.

It's called oral allergy syndrome, or pollen-food syndrome, and can affect any of the 36 million people with ragweed allergies, according to Dr. Clifford Bassett, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

"If not properly managed, these symptoms can take a heavy toll on an allergy sufferer's quality of life," Bassett said in a prepared statement.

Common food allergens include eggs, milk, peanuts, shellfish, tree nuts and wheat, according to the National Library of Medicine. But people with oral allergy syndrome react to different food allergens.

Those with ragweed allergies, for instance, might experience symptoms when they eat such foods bananas, cucumbers, melons, zucchini, sunflower seeds, chamomile tea and Echinacea.

People who are allergic to birch tree pollen, on the other hand, might find that they react to peaches, apples, pears, cherries, carrots, hazelnuts, kiwi and almonds.

Cooking the food might reduce or eliminate the reaction, but not always, and the reactions can be severe. That's why allergy experts suggest that people who experience symptoms after eating one of these foods should simply avoid eating that food, particularly during allergy seasons.

The academy advises people to consult an allergist if they:

• Have itching or tingling in the mouth after eating raw fruits or vegetables
• Experience symptoms that affect quality of life or limit the ability to function
• Have to limit their diet because of reactions to food or additives
• Experience repeated or lasting allergic symptoms, such as having a stuffy nose for an extended period
• Have nasal polyps
• Aren't getting relief from medication
• Have had a reaction to medication
• Have asthma
• Have repeated sinus infections

Food allergies usually begin in childhood, though they can start at any age. Many children outgrow food allergies, but not all do. The National Library of Medicine reports that only about 1 percent of Americans have true food allergies; most people, it says, have food intolerance. An allergist can test to determine whether symptoms are caused by a true allergy or by an intolerance.

On the Web

Learn more about food allergies by visiting the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, news release, August 2007; National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: Aug. 31, 2008
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