CHARACTERISTICS AND CLASSIFICATIONS OF FOOD ALLERGIES

Allergies appear to be closely related to one’s physical and emotional status , reactions to a substance may occur in stress situation some times .Some persons are only mildly sensitive and can eat particular food for several days while others have violent reactions within few hours. Heredity may also play a role in allergy but one does not inherit sensitivity to a specific substance nor to an identical manifestation of the allergy.

Skin tests

These have been much used in the past .A minute quantity of an extract of the suspected food is injected into the skin or rubbed into a scratch. If a weal develops and there is a surrounding red rash this is sometimes taken as indications of sensitivity to the respective food. The presence of pseudopodia extending out from the weal may be taken as further diagnostic evidence.

Clinical manifestation of food allergy

Food allergy may produce any of the various manifestations of sensitivity. Sensitivity to food may manifest itself in the respiratory system as coryza, conjunctivitis, manifestation bronchial asthma.

In alimentary system as an manifestation of gastro –enteritis and in the autoreous sytem as dermatitis, uriticaria in nervous system. In the nervous system it appears as headache. In genitor urinary system as hermaturia and in articular system as arthoraligia..

CLASSIFICATION OF FOOD ALLERGY

It may be divided in to two types – skin sensitive or weal and skin negative or non weal type. Both could be divided into hereditary and non –hereditary portal of entry. The hereditary portal of entry is by alimentary mucosa and the non-hereditary portal of entry is by parental route. Though in skin negative reactions, sometimes it may be in oral, buccal or skin.