Treatment for food intolerance

Main Category: Allergy
Article Date: 24 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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At the moment, there aren't any medicines that can cure food intolerance, so the only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid the particular food. Many children with food allergy grow out of it, but some people with allergies to peanuts, nuts from trees, fish and shellfish will have the condition for life.

It's important for anyone who thinks they might have a food intolerance, including a food allergy, to visit their GP, who can then refer them to a specialist, if appropriate, for a proper diagnosis. Once the diagnosis has been made, they should avoid the food that is known to trigger a reaction.

How to deal with anaphylactic reactions

Epinephrine (adrenaline) is the recommended treatment for controlling a severe allergic reaction. It's available on prescription in special 'pens' (EpiPen® or AnaPen®), which can be used to inject the drug. If you have a severe food allergy, you must always keep adrenaline with you so, if you accidentally eat something you're allergic to, you can inject yourself before getting urgent medical help. Even if you're very careful, it's always possible that you might eat something accidentally that causes a reaction.

People who have had anaphylactic reactions to food should wear a bracelet or necklace saying they have a food allergy and can have severe reactions, so medical staff will know about this in an emergency.

If you have a child with a food allergy, it's especially important that anyone who looks after them knows how to avoid the problem foods and what to do if they have an allergic reaction - this might include giving an adrenaline injection. Schools should have plans to deal with an emergency.

There are medicines that people can take to relieve symptoms of food allergy that are not anaphylactic, for example, antihistamines to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms, rashes, sneezing or a runny nose, and asthma drugs to relieve asthma-related symptoms. Ask your GP for more information.

http://www.allergyuk.org/
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http://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/
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http://www.asthma.org.uk
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http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk