Hives and Food Allergies
- Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 23:48
- Allergy
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- Andrew:
- Now, Dr. Goodman, you mentioned that when many people think of hives – but haven’t had them [in the past] – they understand that there could be a quick allergic reaction, like to a food. So, [how do] we help those folks, too – if [they] were to eat shrimp or some food that [they] had not had before and break out with these welts, what do [they] do?
- Dr. Goodman:
- Well, I think it’s critical to rapidly access care, and if it’s just been a urticarial, or a hive reaction, with no involvement in the airway, then consulting with the primary care physician in the next day or two and at least planning for diagnostic workup for that acute, apparently food-triggered exposure is appropriate. Also plan to have something on hand were that type of reaction to occur outside of the health care setting.
For instance, if someone has acute hives from a food allergy, we make that diagnosis either with skin or blood tests. We’ll provide that patient with a self-injector pen of Adrenaline, epinephrine – or other similar autoinjectors for Adrenaline – in case they were to inadvertently be exposed to that potent food allergen again.
I think the bottom line, Andrew, is that that kind of patient needs to talk to their health care provider, see what the next step is in terms of diagnosis so that they can prevent a recurrence.
And the real critical issue there is the next exposure to a potent food allergen could be much more serious and potentially life threatening.
- Andrew:
- Right, [as] you mentioned [earlier referring to cases] where the airway was not involved. In other words, you could breathe, but your skin broke out. But what you’re suggesting now is the next [reaction to] to that same food allergen might be more [severe].
- Dr. Goodman:
- Yeah, the hives may simply be a harbinger of worse things to come on the next exposure. An allergic reaction is really an exponential event.
Once just a few of the components of the immune system that are involved in creating a true, acute allergic reaction are involved, things can go quite ballistic and get very bad very quickly.
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