
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 4, 1995                   TAG: 9501040060
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FOOD ALLERGIES AREN'T ALL THAT COMMON

Many people mistakenly call all food-related problems food allergies. In fact, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association states that 25 percent of adults believe they have a food allergy, says Ladies' Home Journal magazine. However, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, only about 1 percent of adults and 3 percent of children have clinically proven allergic reactions to foods.

True food allergy is characterized by an abnormal immune-system response to ordinarily harmless substances in foods. Symptoms of food allergies may include: itching and swelling in the mouth, sneezing, a runny nose, hives, eczema, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea or an asthma attack. Severe or anaphylactic reactions can include a drop in blood pressure (often signaled by feelings of faintness) and unconsciousness.

Food intolerance is also an adverse reaction to food, but, unlike food allergy, it doesn't involve the immune system. The reactions, however, may be similar to food allergy - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Common causes are lack of a digestive enzyme, and food additives such as monosodium glutamate. If you have a food intolerance, you can usually eat a small amount of the offending food without a reaction. With an allergy, the tiniest amount will cause a reaction.

The most common food allergies for adults in the United States are those to shrimp, lobster and other shellfish, peanuts (the primary cause of anaphylactic reactions), as well as to walnuts and other tree nuts, fish, wheat and eggs. Children are most likely to be allergic to eggs, milk and peanuts.

If you suspect you have a food allergy, keep a journal of everything you eat. Note the details of reactions, and after one to two weeks, discuss your findings with your doctor, who can prescribe treatments to ease symptoms. Among them: an antihistamine for hives, a bronchodilator for asthma, and, most important if you've ever had an anaphylactic reaction to food, injectable epinephrine.

For more information, call the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology (800-822-ASMA), or the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (800-7-ASTHMA).

by CNB