Food
allergy in early childhood is a marker indicating an increased
risk of developing respiratory allergy. Asthmatic responses to
food additives can occur but are uncommon.
Rhinitis
The upper respiratory tract can be a target of IgE-mediated food allergy.
Symptoms may include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing and itching. The
prevalence of food-induced allergic rhinitis, even among patients referred
to allergy clinics, appears to be less than 1 percent, although 25 to 80
percent of patients with documented IgE-mediated food allergy have nasal
symptoms during oral food challenges.19
Gustatory rhinitis
is a streaming nose caused by spicy foods. This is not an immunologic
reaction it is a chemical action on a neurological reflex.
Asthma
Food-induced asthma is an antibody mediated condition that may result from
ingestion of a food allergens. It can also result from inhalation of vapours
released during cooking. As with atopic eczema, food allergens and cows milk
protein can be responsible and are more easily able to penetrate an infant's
intestinal wall to cause an antigen / antibody response. The prevalence of
food-related asthma in the general population is unknown, but this illness
has been found to occur in 6 percent of children with asthma, 11 percent of
children with atopic dermatitis and 24 percent of children with a history of
food-induced wheezing. The prevalence of food-induced
wheezing in adults with asthma is less than 2 percent.
Heiner Syndrome
This is a severe reaction to cows milk protein. It is a rare adverse
pulmonary response to food characterized by an immune reaction to cow's-milk
proteins with precipitating antibody (IgG) to cow's-milk protein resulting
in pulmonary infiltrates, pulmonary haemosiderosis (iron deposits in the
lungs), anaemia, recurrent pneumonia and failure to thrive.