acute urticaria food allergy

70% of sudden acute urticaria are related to food-induced allergic reactions. Immediately stop eating all suspicious foods as soon as the attack occurs, and take second-generation antihistamines orally as needed. Once symptoms of tight throat, wheezing, and dizziness occur, call 120 immediately. Do not scratch or apply unknown anti-itch ointments, let alone carry it.

Let’s talk about a real case that the clinic encountered last week. A 22-year-old girl checked into an Internet celebrity dessert shop with a friend at noon and ate half a box of mango pancake. In the afternoon, red masses appeared on her arms, as if she had been bitten by giant mosquitoes. The more she scratched, her eyelids were swollen into translucent peaches. She was crying when she came in, thinking that she was going to be disfigured. The physical signs were checked and there were no other abnormalities, and a tablet of cetirizine was prescribed. Within half an hour, most of the redness disappeared. When the little girl left, she still clutched the order of pancake and said that she would not dare to touch mangoes again.

Many people's first reaction is to ask: I have never been allergic to this before, so why did I get infected this time? In fact, there have been different explanations for this in the industry: scholars who do basic research on allergies are more inclined to think that this is a change in the body's sensitization state - for example, if you have stayed up for a week in a row recently, have just recovered from the flu, or even just received a vaccine, your immunity is in a state of temporary disorder. Foods that you normally tolerate may be regarded as "intruders" by the immune system, inducing allergic reactions. ； And more clinical front-line doctors will feel that most of the time you are wrong about the food itself. The problem may lie in the additives, preservatives, or even preservatives and ripening agents on the surface of the food. Just like the little girl mentioned earlier, after a month, she tried to eat half of the fresh mangoes bought at home. Nothing happened. The culprit of the last allergic reaction was actually the margarine and preservatives added to the pandan.

Oh, by the way, don’t believe the nonsense on the Internet that “allergy means low immunity, so you need to take vitamin supplements and protein powder.” It’s purely IQ tax. It’s useless to take supplements during an acute attack. The serious thing is to get rid of the rash first.

When it comes to finding allergens, there are actually two completely different practical ideas: some doctors will recommend a serum-specific IgE test during the onset of an attack, and then strictly avoid allergens after accurately targeting them.； However, during our usual consultations, we prefer to ask patients to keep a food diary first. After all, the body’s immunity is inherently disordered during an acute attack, and the false positive rate of the test can reach more than 30%. On the contrary, it is easy to blacklist many innocent foods. Take me for example. In the past two years, I worked on a project for a week and ate a plate of drunken shrimp that I usually eat. I got wheals all over my body that night. I took a tablet of loratadine and slept and it was fine. Later, I ate drunken shrimp again without any problems. To put it bluntly, my body was "out of shape" during that period. If I had checked for allergens at that time, there was a high probability that shrimp would be marked as an allergen, which was a loss of food for no reason.

There is another question that everyone is most concerned about: Is it possible that I will never be able to eat this food again? There is no unified standard answer to this: If you have an attack every time you eat the same food, or even the symptoms are worse each time, you must strictly avoid them, especially foods that can easily induce severe allergies such as nuts and seafood. Don’t make fun of your own safety. ； But if you only have an attack after eating it one time, there will be no reaction if you touch it again, and there is no need to avoid it for a lifetime. After all, no one knows whether you had an immune disorder last time, or there was something wrong with the ingredients themselves.

Of course, we must also remind you that if you really get a rash after eating, accompanied by a tight throat, hoarse voice, difficulty breathing, or even dizziness when standing, don’t hesitate to call 120 immediately. This is a precursor to anaphylactic shock. Every year, there are cases of people being admitted to the ICU after eating a few mouthfuls of peanuts and seafood. Don’t take trivial matters lightly. As for calamine and anti-itch ointments, they can actually only relieve the itching slightly but cannot cure the root cause. If the swelling is severe, applying it will dry out the skin and cause pain. There is really no need to spend such money.

If you have acute urticaria two or three times a year, and you can't find a clear cause each time, it's not too late to do a systematic allergen screening. There is no need to make a big deal about checking this and that as soon as you get a rash. After all, most food-induced acute urticaria comes and goes quickly. Just take a pill and sleep, and it's really not that scary.