Duration of symptoms

The acute symptoms of allergy persist for minutes to hours after ingestion of the food, but should disappear within a few hours. In many cases, food allergy in adulthood persists throughout life and does not regress.

How can I test for food allergy?

You can also try to find out if you are allergic to a certain food without medical help. It is important to write a kind of nutrition diary. You should write down what you have eaten and whether you have any complaints.

If you suspect that you are allergic to a certain food, you should first remove this food completely from your diet for some time. Then a so-called provocation test can be carried out, i.e. the food is eaten again and any allergic symptoms are observed. In case of a pronounced allergy, however, such a provocation should not take place without medical supervision, since an allergic reaction can lead to death if left untreated.

Allergologists are physicians who deal mainly with allergic diseases. They can perform various tests to determine whether an allergy is present. A typical and widespread test is the so-called prick test.

In this test, certain potential allergens are applied to the skin and, so to speak, scratched under the skin. After a certain period of time, a test is carried out to determine whether a reddening/pimple has formed on the skin. This would then indicate the presence of an allergy to the tested allergen.

What is the therapy of a food allergy?

The therapy of a food allergy consists primarily of avoiding the food that causes it. However, this does not cure the disease. This means that if the triggering food is consumed again, the allergy will most likely reoccur.

If light allergic symptoms develop on many foods, a drug therapy with an antihistamine can be tried. This should be taken daily and should alleviate the symptoms of the allergy. In rare cases, a so-called hyposensitization is also possible in case of a food allergy.

In this case, the triggering food is repeatedly supplied in small doses for months until the body has become accustomed to it and no longer reacts allergically. However, hyposensitization is only applicable for certain allergies, very rarely for food allergies. For people who react strongly allergic, such as many people with peanut allergies, an emergency kit should always be carried along. This contains medication that can save lives in the event of an anaphylactic shock. Therapy of a food allergy