Classification of allergies

Allergies are classified according to the type of immune response that occurs in two groups:

• IgE-mediated allergies.

• Non-IgE mediated allergies.

IgE-mediated allergies: These are considered "true allergies" because they cause well-defined reactions.

Symptoms of IgE-mediated allergies: They appear in less than one or two hours, occur with minimal amounts of food. They manifest themselves with the following symptoms:

• Cutaneous symptoms: hives, swelling of the face.

• Respiratory symptoms: Bronchospasm, edema of the nasal cavity and throat.

• Gastrointestinal symptoms: pain, nausea, vomiting, colic, diarrhea.

• Anaphylaxis: cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension, loss of consciousness.

Diagnosis of IgE-mediated allergies: They are diagnosed taking into account the clinical history, aided by immunological tests, and confirmed by exclusion and provocation tests.

Treatment of IgE-mediated allergies: Strict avoidance of the food that provokes the allergy.

Non-IgE mediated allergies: They are caused by immunological mechanisms that are not precisely defined, involving cells and antibodies, sometimes with mixed participation, sometimes only cells or only antibodies. Symptoms of non-IgE-mediated allergies: Symptoms generally occur with a larger amount of food than in the case of IgE-mediated allergies, and take more than two hours after ingestion to appear.

Diagnosis of non-IgE-mediated allergies: This is usually done after IgE-mediated allergy has been ruled out, by analyzing the ingestion-symptom link and proving it by provocation tests.

Treatment of non-IgE-mediated allergies: Strict avoidance of the food that provokes the allergy.