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Food allergies can and do appear almost over night in adults. When identifying a true food allergy it is critical to find the food culprit. Many people may have bloating or gas, this is not a food allergy, but considered a food intolerance as it does not involve the immune system.

The main foods that cause a true food allergy in adults seem to be common foods such as shellfish, shrimp, lobster, crab, peanuts, wheat, eggs and milk. Adults will not lose a discovered food allergy.

Symptoms of a food allergy can be mild or very severe. An affected person can experience reactions such as rashes, hives, severe itching of tongue, tingling lips. More sever reactions will include, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps. In the worst case scenario as allergens travel through the body there may be, tightness of the throat, deep drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, even death can as does occur. Symptoms usually appear in as little as one hour.

Anaphylactic allergic reactions can prove fatal even when mild symptoms begin. Antihistamines and bronchodilators are often used to treat less severe symptoms.

The only way used to treat food allergies is to avoid food culprits that trigger reations. Food manufacturers and many consumer groups at present are working to increase awareness of the seriousness of food allergen reactions and are ensuring that the most common allergens are labelled in products.

The FDA is focussing on eight of the most common food allergens. Milk, Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Wheat, Soybeans, Peanuts, and Tree nuts. Proteins that are found in these foods are now estimated to cause 90 per cent of known allergic reactions in North America.

As a severe food allergy can appear at any time. If you or a loved one experience any symptoms more severe than a slight rash, head immediately to your local emergency department. It could mean the difference between life and death.

Learn more about this author, Deirdre Field.
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