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The sudden onset of swollen lips can be frightening, especially if it is accompanied by swelling of the tongue and throat. The most urgent concern is how to get rid of the swelling. The next question is what happened and how to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Swelling of the lips is usually associated with an allergic reaction. It can be caused by a food allergy, or allergies to pollen.

The swelling, called angioedema, usually occurs within a few minutes of eating the offending food and rarely more than two hours after. It is often accompanied by a tingling sensation or numbness. If swelling of the tongue or throat causes any difficulty breathing,seek immediate medical attention.

Antihistamines are helpful in reducing the symptoms quickly, though the swelling will subside on its own with time. Loratidine is less sedative than chlorpheniramine. Hydroxizine HCL (Atarax) is especially helpful for angioedema. The medication should be taken at the first sign of tingling around the mouth.

Once the swelling has subsided, the next concern will be determining the cause and preventing it from happening again.

If the swelling is caused by a food allergy, it will happen every time the food is eaten. Any food that causes an allergy should be avoided. The first time the food is eaten, there won't be any reaction but the body becomes sensitized. The next time the body is exposed, the reaction is mild. The allergic reaction increases in severity with each subsequent exposure of the offending food. If a food allergy is suspected, avoid the food and see a doctor for allergy testing and education.

Another potential cause of lip swelling is known as Oral Allergy Syndrome or OAS. This occurs in people who are allergic to pollens and is the result of a cross reaction between some pollens and foods. The most common is birch pollen, but OAS has also been seen with pollen allergies to ragweed, mugwort sage, plantain, grasses, and many fruits and nuts.

A person who is allergic to birch pollen may experience a reaction with exposure to apple, cherry, pear, plum, prune, nectarine, honey, wheat, potato, beans, parsley, peas, and many others. The list of potential problem foods is quite long. An allergy to plantains may result in a cross reaction to melon. For more information on the cross reactions, a detailed table is available at http://www.allergynursing.com/ questions3/oas.php.

People who experience OAS find it is most often due to raw foods. Foods that are well-cooked do not cause significant reactions. The exception to this is nuts. Any reaction to nuts is cause to avoid nuts at all times.

Swollen lips have caused all kinds of problems for people from embarrassment to time off work. The only way to know for sure what is causing the swelling is to see a physician, an allergist if possible, for testing to determine the exact nature of your problem. Allergies can be severe and potentially life-threatening, so the best course for a recurring problem with swollen lips is to see your physician.

For more information:
www.allergynurse.c om
www.dermatology.co.uk

Learn more about this author, Sandra Douglas.
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