How is potato allergy manifested in children and adults

Potatoes can rightfully be called one of the most popular products not only in Russia, but all over the world. For its ubiquity, it even received the name "second bread". This vegetable is present in the daily and holiday menu of most people, and the number of dishes that can be cooked with it is in the hundreds.

Many people cannot imagine their diet without potatoes, but some people cannot eat them due to allergies. How an allergy to potatoes can manifest itself and what measures must be taken to avoid trouble, read on.

Can potatoes cause allergies?

When asked if potatoes are an allergen, most people answer negatively, but they are wrong. Even such a common and common product can cause an allergic reaction.

Allergy to this vegetable is a relatively rare occurrence.that very few people encounter. But it can manifest itself spontaneously and at any age. Recently, children under the age of 6 have been at risk.

Important! Although an allergy to potatoes is rare, it can lead to dire consequences, including anaphylactic shock.

Doctors link allergies to a general deterioration in the nation's health, the wrong way of life, in particular, the use of junk food. In children, intolerance arises from the lack of breastfeeding.

Do not exclude the hereditary component.... If the parents have allergies, the child may also be exposed to it.

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Why allergies occur

The causes and mechanisms of allergy to potatoes, as well as to many other foods, are still not well understood. The immune system can be triggered by a number of substances contained in this vegetable.

The main allergens in potatoes are proteins... Among them, the most active are patatin, tuberin, and cathepsin D.

Of the substances of non-protein origin, the greatest threat is posed by potato starch... This carbohydrate brings allergy sufferers much more trouble, as it is actively used in the food industry. There is a high risk of getting an allergic reaction by eating a product that is not directly related to potatoes. A person with an intolerance starch may get an allergic attack by eating berry jelly or tomato ketchup.

Allergies can be caused not only by eating potatoes... Sometimes rashes appear even when you peel this vegetable or from its smell. In this regard, young potatoes are most dangerous for allergy sufferers. The starch content in it is higher than in old tubers, so the allergic reaction is much more acute.

Signs and symptoms of allergies

Potato intolerance can manifest in different ways and affect people of all ages. - from infants to the elderly. Symptoms vary greatly depending on the person's age.

In babies

For the first time, symptoms of potato intolerance can appear in babies at 3-3.5 months. At this age, the allergen enters the body along with breast milk. Toh, that the baby is not allowed potatoes, can be determined by the following signs:

• the child is worried and capricious;
• sleep problems appear;
• decrease (and sometimes complete loss) of appetite;
• foul-smelling belching;
• gas formation;
• colic;
• stool is disturbed (color and consistency changes).

When these symptoms occur, the mother needs to exclude potatoes from your menu and seek medical advice.

An even greater risk of developing allergies appears if the baby is bottle-fed.... Some sweets for food are made using potato starch. Their use can cause the same symptoms. If a baby has an intolerance, it is necessary to replace the mixture used with a hypoallergenic one.

Important! When choosing hypoallergenic formulas for feeding an allergic child, preference should be given to those that contain goat's milk.

The period from 4 months to a year is dangerous when complementary foods are introduced... In baby food of many manufacturers, especially in curds and various purees, potato starch is added as a thickener.

If a potato allergy started in a child over 4 months of age, you need to remove this product from complementary foods. There is a possibility that the reaction is not caused by an immune response to the allergen, but by a disorder of the digestive system. In such cases, you must wait up to 11-12 months.

In children

A negative reaction to potatoes in children over a year old is expressed as follows:

• poor appetite;
• stomach ache;
• attacks of nausea and vomiting;
• diarrhea;
• itching;
• redness and peeling of the skin (especially on the cheeks), the appearance of rashes and blisters;
• nasal congestion.

If a small child has a potato intolerance, it is necessary to consult a specialist... The good news is that many children after 6 years old get rid of allergies and can safely consume this vegetable.

In adults

Allergy symptoms in adults:

• rashes on the skin - redness, blisters, blisters;
• severe itching, especially in places of rashes, may be accompanied by dryness and flaking of the skin;
• runny nose, swelling of the mucous membranes, sneezing;
• attacks of nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, colic, flatulence, diarrhea (sometimes with traces of mucus and blood);
• decreased or complete loss of appetite.

The most common adult reaction is skin rashes and itching.... They appear already in the first minutes after eating potatoes. The rest of the symptoms may appear after a few hours.

Important! The reaction to different types of potatoes can vary greatly. The greatest risk of allergies occurs when eating young potatoes and tubers that have been abundantly treated with pesticides.

Types of allergic reactions

Potato intolerance can manifest itself in different ways.

Depending on the symptoms, doctors distinguish 4 types of reactions.:

1. Dermatological... It is characterized by itching (as a rule, it appears in the mouth), the appearance of a rash, the development of atopic dermatitis. With mild allergies, abscesses with a white liquid inside or red spots spill out only around the lips, in severe cases, cover the entire body.
2. Food... She is characterized by stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. This type of allergy is often confused with food poisoning.
3. Respiratory... In this case, a person is tormented by a cough and a runny nose, which occurs due to inflammation of the mucous membranes, shortness of breath appears.
4. Systemic... This is the rarest and most severe reaction. It can cause hypotension (a strong drop in blood pressure), Quincke's edema (local, rapidly spreading edema that most often affects the throat or lower face), or anaphylactic shock. These phenomena are deadly and require immediate hospitalization.

Allergy diagnostics

If you suspect you are allergic to potatoes, you should immediately remove it from the menu for 4-5 weeks. Then you need to eat some potatoes again to check for allergy symptoms. Skin rashes usually occur within 5-10 minutes after use.

Sometimes potato intolerance is seasonal.when respiratory allergens (pollen) cross-react with food allergens and trigger an immune response. People who are allergic to birch pollen need to be especially careful during the flowering period of this plant. Birch pollen can cross-react with potatoes.

Allergy may arise not on the tubers themselves, but on the spices that were used in cooking product. Sometimes a food reaction is not a symptom of an allergy, but a poisoning with solanine or pesticides. Therefore, only a doctor can recognize an allergen and prescribe an effective treatment.

Based on the results of the initial examination of the patient, the allergist gives a referral for tests to determine the allergen. There are several types of diagnostics:

• a blood test for the content of eosinophils - allergic cells;
• skin tests;
• a blood test for immunoglobulins;
• study of the patient's immune status.

The course of treatment is prescribed only after receiving the test results... Do not self-medicate - it can only aggravate the situation.

Potato allergy treatment

Treatment can be roughly divided into three blocks: diet, elimination of symptoms and drug therapy.

First of all, contact with the allergen is excluded... For this, the doctor prescribes a special diet without potatoes and starch-containing foods.

Use histamine H1 receptor blockers to relieve symptoms ("Fenistil-gel"), cromones ("Intal" or "Cromoglycic acid") and topical glucocorticosteroids ("Beclomethasone").

If you are at risk of developing Quincke's edema, have "Prednisolone" on hand to make an injection in a timely manner.

Important! Children and adults cannot be treated with the same drugs. Many antihistamines are contraindicated in young children because the active ingredient in them can cause serious side effects.

For babies from the age of 1 month with the development of allergies give "Suprastin" and "Fenistil" (in the form of drops).

Children over 1 year old are allowed "Tavegil" and "Erius" (in the form of syrup), as well as "Zodak" (in the form of drops). After 6 years, the use of tablets "Tavegil", "Zirtek" and "Feksadina" is permissible.

For adults, the spectrum of antihistamines is much wider.... In the absence of contraindications, drugs of the first (active substances - clemastine, chloropyramine, etc.), the second (active substance - loratadine) or the third generation (active substances - cetirizine, fexofenadine, desloratadine) are taken.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy is used to treat the cause of allergy, not its manifestations... Its purpose is to normalize the immune system and block the release of immunoglobulins. For this, small doses of the allergen are administered to the patient. This treatment takes a long time (the course lasts 3-7 years), requires discipline and patience from the patient. Only this method contributes to a complete cure for allergies.

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Allergy prevention

People with potato intolerance follow the rules that prevent allergy attacks:

1. Before using new products, study their composition in detail. Many products contain potato starch, which can trigger reactions. These foods should be avoided.
2. Do not purchase cooked sausage by weight, baked goods and other confectionery products without factory packaging. In this case, there is a risk of purchasing a product with added starch.
3. In cafes and restaurants, inform the waiters about potato allergies. It so happens that the menu does not include the composition of the dishes, and potatoes are not always included in the list of ingredients.
4. When visiting, inform the hosts about your allergies. It is better to do this in advance so that you can adjust the menu.
5. In case of severe allergies, avoid peeling potatoes, especially young ones.If you have to do this, use rubber gloves, and in the case of the respiratory type, a mask.
6. Always have antihistamines and corticosteroid ointments on hand for treating skin rashes. Take all medications on trips, even short-term ones.
7. If a child suffers from an allergy, warn the adults with whom he spends a lot of time - grandparents, nannies, educators, teachers.

Opinion of doctors

Doctors note the difficulty of differentiating potato allergy from other diseases.

A. Adaleva, allergist: “If you yourself observe an allergic reaction to potatoes (regardless of the diagnostic results), the product must be excluded from the diet. How long the diet will take is a difficult question. If you have a common intolerance, it may disappear over time. But if we are talking about a true allergy, then, as a rule, it persists throughout life ".

M. Shcheglova, allergist-immunologist: “People often confuse the symptoms of allergies and other diseases. With a respiratory allergy, the patient may think that he has a cold, cases of skin manifestations are also rarely associated with allergies. A person comes to the clinic, and there he is prescribed the wrong treatment. But the primary care physician is obliged to suspect such things. Before getting to an allergist, a person goes through many months, and sometimes many years of useless treatment. To distinguish allergies from other diseases, it is necessary to carry out a narrow diagnosis ".

Conclusion

Potatoes have become part of the daily diet of a huge number of people, and many cannot imagine their dinner table without this vegetable. But not everyone can use it.

Those who suffer from potato intolerance need to carefully select the menu, observe preventive measures or follow the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor.