Food Allergy

Food allergy is common. Most appear during childhood, but some appear later in life. Very often, it is impossible for us to find out what food we are allergic to, because food allergic reaction usually appears hours after consuming a particular food.

Food allergy is an adverse reaction that occurs after eating certain food. It is driven by our own body’s immune system. In other words, your immune system does not like the food you consume, therefore produces antibodies against the food, known as immunoglobulin E (IgE).

The next time you consume the same food, your immune system will release a huge amount of chemicals into your bloodstream causing an allergic reaction. Even a tiny amount of food can trigger a food allergic reaction.

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Signs and Symptoms

Common food allergy symptoms:

Rashes, hives, itching of the skin
Itching or tingling sensation in the mouth
Swelling of the face, lips, around the eyes, tongue, throat
Nausea and vomiting
Abdominal pain and diarrhoea
Wheezing and nasal congestion
Difficulty in breathing
Lightheadedness
Dizziness

Severe food allergy symptoms (Anaphylaxis):

Swollen tongue and throat
Tightening of airway
Difficulty in breathing
Severe wheezing
Drop in blood pressure
Rise in pulse rate
Severe dizziness
Loss of consciousness

Treatment and Management

There is no cure for food allergy. Therefore, it is important to see a doctor and get yourself tested to identify the food you are allergic to so you can avoid it in the future.

What you can do:

Get yourself tested to pinpoint the exact content of the food you are allergic to.
Avoid taking the food you are allergic to. Remove this from your diet completely.
Always read the list of ingredients on the label of each prepared food before consuming it.
Be very careful at restaurants. If in doubt, always check with the restaurant if the food contains ingredients that you are allergic to.
If you have experienced food allergy reaction before, your doctor may prescribe oral antihistamine or injectable adrenaline (in severe cases) for you to carry with you at all times.
If you have a food allergy, it is strongly advisable to wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace, or carry a medical alert card that lets others know that you have a food allergy in case you have a reaction and you are unable to communicate.

If you experience food allergy symptoms:

SEE A DOCTOR immediately.
Inform someone (family, friends, work colleagues). It is best if you can get someone to go to the doctor with you.
If you experience any of the severe symptoms mentioned, go to the EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT immediately.
If you have antihistamine or injectable adrenaline with you, use them en route to seeing a doctor.
Do not delay seeing a doctor because food allergy may be life threatening.

KNOW YOUR ALLERGY, SAVE A LIFE.

GET TESTED TODAY.

Test Method

Blood Test

Our immune system produces antibody called IgE against certain food we consume. Therefore, if we can detect these specific IgE antibodies, we are able to find out which food we are allergic to.

This is simply known as food allergy test. Only a blood sample is needed to carry out this test, and it can be done on the same day visit to the doctor. The results are extremely useful for you and the doctors to manage the allergies appropriately.

Results are typically available in about a week and are reported as a numerical value.

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