- These are the best-known and most studied form of food allergy and involve the IgE family of antibodies (‘Ig’ stands for immunoglobulin and ‘E’ is the type of family of immunoglobulin, which is another word for antibody)
- These allergies are rare, fewer than 5% of us have them and they are mostly found in children between the ages of 0 and 6
- The reaction to the food allergen is immediate, therefore the condition is usually diagnosed, without the help of a doctor
- Huge amounts of substances like histamine are released into the body, once the offending food is consumed, causing a myriad of symptoms, some of which can be life threatening
- A person is usually only allergic to 1 or 2 foods, which once self diagnosed are avoided permanently
- These allergies can be genetic, such as Coeliac Disease
SYMPTOMS OF TYPE 1 ALLERGIES
- Skin Irritation such as Rash and Eczema
- Vomiting/ Nausea/ Stomach Cramps/ Diarrhoea
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Asthma Attacks
- Allergic Rhinitis (sneezing/ stuffy nose)
- In extreme cases Anaphylaxis occurs (swelling of throat and mouth, resulting in severe asthma attacks, which can end in death from suffocation)
- Recurrent urinary tract infections
- Epilepsy
- Ulcerative colitis (ulcers in the lining of the rectum and colon)
- Crohn’s Disease (inflammatory disease of the intestines)
