Symptoms of an allergy
Do you often sneeze? Red belly after wearing a belt? Do your lips tingle when you eat nuts? You may be allergic. But how do you recognize an allergy? An overview of the general symptoms.
Sneezing, watery eyes and runny nose
Huge sneezes, a runny nose and red, itchy and watery eyes are common with hay fever. People with hay fever are allergic to the pollen grains of grass and trees. The hair, dander or feathers of animals can also cause sneezing fits and irritated eyes.
The red eyes and the runny nose also occur in some cases with food allergies.
Heavy breathing, ‘wheezing’ and coughing
Heavy breathing, ‘wheezing’ and coughing can be associated with asthma. Asthma, like hay fever, is usually caused by animal dander and dust mites. The substances released during an allergic reaction narrow the airways and make it more difficult to breathe. You will ‘beep’.
Itching, redness and scaling (eczema)
Various substances can cause itching and eczema. Examples are nickel, rubber and plasters. After direct contact with any of those substances to which you are allergic, the skin may become red and itchy.
Children under the age of 4 can also develop eczema from an allergy to certain foods, a food allergy. When certain foods get on the skin, the skin can also react to them (especially in young children).
food allergy
Sore throat and lips, tongue swelling, throat tightness, dry cough, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. All of these symptoms can be associated with a food allergy. After eating, for example, peanuts, nuts, fish, shellfish (mussels) or cow’s milk, the mouth or lips may start to tingle.
In some cases, the tongue may swell and the throat may become clogged. Diarrhea or vomiting after eating certain foods can also be a form of food allergy.
Shock (anaphylactic reaction)
In some (serious) cases, the allergic reaction is not limited to one organ, and there is a shock. Then the whole body reacts to the allergy. Dilate all blood vessels in the body. The person then has almost no blood pressure and can even die.
These violent reactions can occur with any type of allergy, especially with wasp or bee stings, for example. Even when someone is injected with medicines to which he is allergic, he can go into shock.
Allergy or intolerance
If your body reacts strongly to food, it could also be an intolerance. This is not due to the immune system, but the symptoms do resemble an allergy. Although you mainly get diarrhea and abdominal pain if you are intolerant to something. For example, many people have a lactose intolerance. If you want to know whether it is an allergy or an intolerance, you can have this tested.
