Can egg allergy be cured?

Currently there are different food allergies that to a greater or lesser extent affect a good number of people. Among the most common, for example, we can mention the allergy to milk protein, allergy to nuts, seafood allergy or egg allergy. In fact, it is considered that the allergy to the egg is together with the milk allergy the most frequent, affecting up to 7.5% of the population.

There are also other less common ones (given that they do not affect a greater percentage of the population as it does with those mentioned above), but they are equally important. This is the case of the allergy to fruits and vegetables, the allergy to fish or the allergy to legumes.

In the particular case of egg allergy we are facing a type of adverse reaction that originates from the ingestion of the egg, or even when both this and a food product made with it, is manipulated by the person suffering from the allergy. That is, it is an allergic reaction that tends to repeat itself every time there is a new contact with that food.

This allergy It occurs when our body produces IgE (immunoglobulin E), an antibody directed against a substance that acts as an allergic, and which in this case is the egg. Therefore, it only occurs in people who have an allergic sensitization to this food. And we should not confuse it with other adverse reactions that, for example, can occur when the contamination of the egg by bacteria occurs. In these cases we are faced with reactions of a toxic nature, which occur with vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes fever.

In the case of egg allergy, its symptoms can be varied, ranging from mild itching in the mouth or throat to something much more serious. They usually appear over an hour after ingestion of the egg or food product that contains it, and the most common occur in the skin, causing itching, hives, redness, edema and / or swelling in the lips and eyelids.

Less frequently, more serious symptoms may appear, such as respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath and swallowing.

Is the cure of egg allergy possible?

As many specialists say, egg allergy can be cured. Moreover, it is estimated that more than 70% of children who are allergic to eggs end up evolving towards complete healing.

This healing can occur early, for example before 24 months of age, or reach up to 9 years of age. In fact, it is estimated that while 35% of children reach cure by 3 years, and 5 years between 50 to 55%, most will achieve by 9 years (between 60 to 75%) .

They also exist at this time desensitization treatments, with a success rate of 93% for patients allergic to eggs, which must be carried out in centers that meet the necessary conditions, with the appropriate technical means and with trained personnel both in the control and in the treatment of the reactions allergic in the case in which they occur.

These treatments consist in the administration of increasing doses of food, gradually overcoming certain phases depending on the response of the patient. Thus, for example, during the first week, increasing doses are administered every 20 minutes, up to four daily. And so on successively with the aim of maintaining the tolerance that has been achieved little by little.

After 4 months it is possible to consume foods that contain eggs, but without, for example, consuming a whole egg or an omelet. And finally, after 6 more months during which 33 milliliters of egg white are consumed, for example, the first whole egg is administered in the hospital. This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor.

Allergy | Egg Allergy | StreamingWell.com (March 2024)