Allergy due to food additives

Hives can occur due to food additives as well. It is a common food allergy symptom which can be triggered by reactions to variety of food. Hives are characterized by raised itchy bumps and rashes all over the skin. They usually resemble insect bites. Short term episodic hives are known as acute urticaria. If they last for more than six weeks, they are considered to be chronic.

However, food is not the only cause of hives. Some other causes of hives can be medication or latex allergies. Food allergies are a hidden cause of numerous problems. They can range from mere annoyances to downright severe diseases. Sometimes it so happens, that food allergies remain under diagnosed.

Food allergy can react to other parts of the body as well apart from skin. These include the intestine, brain, respiratory passages and can sometimes lead to behavioral changes in the victim as well.

Allergies often occur due to food additives. Food allergies usually involve two features of the human immune response. One is the production of antibodies and the other being the production of mast cell. These lead to allergies in nose, throat, lungs, skin and the intestinal tracts as well.

The most common food allergies in adults occur due to the consumption of seafood such as crabs and lobsters. Even peanuts can turn out to be a potential food allergen in some cases. Children are also easily affected by food allergy. In case of children, the usual food allergens happen to be milk, milk products, eggs and peanuts. However, children tend to outgrow their allergies.

Symptoms of Allergy due to food additives:

• In babies and infants the symptom may be rashes or something like eczema. Sometimes it can be accompanied by vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. They may even wheeze or get a running nose.
• In adults, food allergies result in itching in the mouth or hives in the skin, eczema and sometimes a running nose and asthma. Sometimes, the entire body can be covered by rashes. The throat may swell up as well. In severe cases the patient might be attacked by anaphylaxis.
• For some people allergic reaction to food develops if they exercise immediately after a heavy meal.

Diagnosis

• Diagnosis of food allergy can be carried out by checking out the person's medical history. Skin prick tests and certain blood tests need to be carried so that hives due to food additives can be properly diagnosed.
• If symptoms cannot be spotted after the suspected food is eaten, the person is not allergic to the food.
• If it is the other way round, then the person is definitely allergic to the suspected food.

Treatment

• The best way to treat food allergy is to completely avoid the food that triggers the allergy.
• This can be followed by desensitization by eliminating the food at the very beginning.
• Antihistamines can always work while it comes to relieving the hives' swelling.

Allergy due to food additives is very common and millions are affected by this disease. However, if proper diagnosis is carried out and proper treatment meted out to the patient, food allergy hives can be controlled.