Diagnosis
The anamnesis is very important for the diagnosis. It is very helpful if the patient already keeps a (nutritional) diary in which he/she writes down which food has been eaten or which substances have been in contact with which allergic reaction. Based on this, the treating physician can carry out the allergy test.
There are different variants of the allergy test. Either on the patient himself or on his blood. The aim of the test is the controlled exposure of the patient to the possible allergen.
After this exposure, it is tested whether an allergic reaction develops. Relatively well known is the so-called prick test, where the allergen to be tested is applied to the skin and a small needle is inserted into the skin so that the substance can penetrate the skin surface. Afterwards it is evaluated whether a redness of the skin or a swelling of the skin area develops. The prick test is mainly carried out by dermatologists and special allergologists.
Associated symptoms
Symptoms that can occur in the context of a cross-allergy are the same as in a normal allergic reaction. There are numerous possible manifestations.Redness, rashes and wheals may occur on the skin. The rash may be accompanied by itching.
In addition, there may be swelling of the nasal mucosa with rhinitis and congestion of the nose, the eyes may be reddened, increased watering and itching. Frequently, allergies such as pollen allergy are accompanied by symptoms such as frequent sneezing. A narrowing of the airways in the sense of asthma can also be triggered by an allergic reaction. In the area of the gastrointestinal tract, contact with an allergen can lead to diarrhoea, nausea and abdominal pain. An allergic reaction can be harmless but can also be life-threatening.
TreatmentTherapy
Cross-allergies often affect different types of food. If there is such a cross-allergy to a food, it is usually sufficient to avoid that food. For many foods it also helps to warm them up as they then lose their allergenic character.
An example of this is carrots or potatoes. In their raw state they have a high allergenic potential, but when cooked they hardly have any. Often, however, it is not possible to identify all the substances to which the person concerned is allergic.
Then it can be helpful to take medication that has an anti-allergic effect, i.e. to counteract the symptoms that an allergy brings with it. A disadvantage of these drugs is that many patients complain that they make them very tired. There are, however, different active ingredients that are tolerated differently by everyone.
In the case of cross-reactions that occur in the context of a pollen allergy, those affected often report that the symptoms are only pronounced during the pollen season when the affected foods are consumed and that they decrease significantly in autumn and winter, so that it is sometimes sufficient to avoid these foods during the pollen season. For some substances, hyposensitization is also a possible treatment option. Here the aim is to accustom the body to the allergen over a longer period of time.
This is done by regularly exposing the body to small doses of the allergen. If a hyposensitization is successful, the body will eventually no longer react with an allergy to the substance in question. A hyposensitization is not always successful and relatively time-consuming.
