Most common symptoms of allergies

The onset of allergic symptoms may begin between the first minutes and two hours after the contact with the food. In general, cutaneous symptoms appear first and, depending on the severity of the case, oral, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular symptoms may appear, and they may become very complex and not frequent, called anaphylactic shock, which can be life-threatening.

In the face of allergic symptoms, we must be attentive and bear in mind that the same food does not produce the same symptoms, nor with the same intensity. The amount of food that provokes the reaction varies, some individuals react to ingestion of minimal amounts of food, others react to the ingestion of larger amounts.

Cutaneous symptoms: These are usually the first manifestations of an allergic reaction. They are the most frequent and least severe and may appear:

• Redness and urticaria in certain areas, by direct contact with the food or all over the skin.

• Swelling of eyelids and contact areas.

• Atopic dermatitis, mainly affecting young children, often indicates that the new food introduced in the child's diet may cause allergic reactions.

Gastrointestinal symptoms:

• Itching and edema of the mucous membranes and submucosal tissues, lips, mouth, tongue, palate, throat.

• Nausea, abdominal pain, colic, vomiting and diarrhea.

Respiratory symptoms:

• Serial sneezing with abundant clear mucus.

• Nasal congestion.

• Itchy eyes with tearing.

• Inflammation of the throat, causing alterations in the entrance of air.

• Asthmatic crisis.

Anaphylactic shock:

• It consists of a severe allergic reaction. It develops rapidly and may last for hours. It may begin with the symptoms of a common allergy, with reddening of the skin, swelling, dermatitis, but all very quickly.

• Then respiratory problems, digestive disorders may appear and continue with manifestations of the cardiovascular system such as arrhythmias, low blood pressure, becoming life-threatening if you do not go immediately to the doctor. The drug of first choice in these cases is adrenaline.