Eggs are the commonest allergy causing foods. The symptoms of the allergy usually come on few minutes to few hours after consuming eggs or foods that contain eggs. The allergy may be mild to severe and is seen as – skin rashes, nasal discharge and congestion, tummy pain and vomiting. Infrequently, an egg allergy may trigger an anaphylactic attack which is a life threatening situation needing prompt medical aid.
Signs And Symptoms Of Egg Allergy
The symptoms of an egg allergy reaction differ from individual to individual, usually develops soon after exposure to egg.
- Skin rash.
- A runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing.
- Nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.
- Wheezing, gasping and chest pain.
- In case you develop a very severe allergic reaction, it could set off an anaphylaxis, a life-threatening situation which needs an immediate treatment and visiting an emergency room. Anaphylaxis is seen as – lump in the throat, constriction of the airways, breathlessness and gasping, pain in the abdomen, a rapid pulse rate, giddiness, drop in B.P. and unconsciousness.
You need to confer with your health care provider regarding your reaction — no matter how mild. An egg allergy reaction is known to vary every time one occurs, so even if your past reaction was relatively mild, the next one could be more serious.
What Causes Allergic Reaction To Eggs?
Most allergies to any agent occur as a consequence to an immune mechanism overreaction. For egg allergy, your immune system erroneously recognizes certain proteins in an egg as dangerous. Consequently, when you come in contact with egg proteins, your immune system, i.e. the antibodies identify them and send messages to your immune system to discharge histamine that cause the allergic signs and symptoms.
Egg yolks as well as egg whites have certain proteins that set off allergies; however, an allergy to egg whites is rather commoner. It is also likely that a breast-fed baby may have a reaction to egg proteins found in breast milk in case the mother is consuming eggs.
Treatment For Allergic Reaction To Eggs
The only way to ward off against egg allergy symptoms is to steer clear of eggs or egg products. Discuss with your doctor about what is the best line of treatment for you.
- Drugs such as anti-histamines help decrease your signs and symptoms of a mild egg allergy. These medications can be taken after an egg exposure. They do not help prevent an allergic egg reaction nor are they effective for treating a severe reaction.
- You may also need to carry an emergency epinephrine injector at all times, in case you mistakenly consume that contains eggs. Anaphylaxis calls for an epinephrine shot, a visit to the emergency room and monitoring for some time to ensure that the symptoms do not return. You must also know how to use an auto-injector. If your child has an epinephrine injector, ensure that the teachers and caregivers know how to use it and have an access to it. If your child is old enough, teach him how to use it himself. Replace the auto-injector before expiration date.
- By and large, children tend to outgrow an egg allergy by adolescence. But that is not a certainty.