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Does Your Child Have Oral Allergy Syndrome?
According to Dr. Deborah Gentile of the Division of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology of Pediatric Alliance, “OAS is a form of a contact allergic reaction that occurs upon contact of the mouth and throat with raw fruits and vegetables. The most frequent symptoms of OAS include itchiness or swelling of the mouth, face, lip, tongue, and throat.” Symptoms usually appear immediately after eating raw fruits or vegetables, although in rare cases, the reaction can occur more than an hour later. OAS is generally considered to be a mild form of food allergy. Rarely, OAS can cause severe throat swelling leading to difficulty swallowing or breathing. In a person who is highly allergic, a systemic reaction called anaphylaxis (an-a-fi-LAK-sis) may be caused by a cross-reaction between pollen and raw fruit or vegetable, but this is very uncommon. OAS can occur at any time of the year. Although there is no definitive test for OAS, affected individuals often have a positive allergy skin test or blood test for specific pollen, along with a history of symptoms after ingestion of the suspected foods. Different Reactions Based on Different Allergies In the case of OAS, individuals react to different foods based on what type of seasonal allergies they are affected by. For instance, if you are allergic to birch tree pollen, a primary airborne allergen responsible for symptoms in the springtime, you may have reactions triggered by pitted fruit or carrot. Even peanuts, almond, and hazelnut may cause mouth itching in those with birch pollen allergy. If mouth itching is noted with nuts, you should see an allergist /immunologist because mild mouth symptoms may signal a more serious allergic reaction to nuts. People with allergies to grasses may have a reaction to peaches, celery, tomatoes, melons (cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew) and oranges. Those with reactions to ragweed might have symptoms when eating foods such as banana, cucumber, melon, and zucchini. The convenient table below lists the possible pollen and plant food cross-reactivities. Managing Your Symptoms Some studies have shown that treatment with allergy shots can improve the symptoms of OAS.
You develop systemic reactions after eating raw fruits or vegetables such as hives, vomiting, or difficulty breathing.
Pediatric Alliance provides high quality, comprehensive primary and specialty care (asthma, allergy, immunology and endocrinology) to infants, children and adolescents through clinical expertise, advocacy, education, collaboration, research, and information management. As the largest physician- owned group pediatric practice in the Pittsburgh region, Pediatric Alliance offers 17 different office locations. For more information, please visit www.pediatricalliance.com. ![]() |
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