GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN -WHEAT ALLERGY

 

What Is a Wheat allergy?

Wheat allergy is an immune response to food proteins in wheat. Like other food allergies, you might experience symptoms of an allergic reaction ranging from severe to mild.

What Is Gluten?

If you are allergic to wheat, you must avoid wheat in all forms, and thus avoiding gluten becomes imperative and essential as gluten forms a major component of wheat. Thus, allergy to wheat comes from Gluten.

The allergy affects almost less than 1 % of the population.

 What are the common symptoms?

The moderate symptoms include abdominal pain or vomiting followed by swollen lips face or eyes, whereas severe symptoms can range from heavy wheezing, persistent cough, tightness in the throat or noisy breathing.

 What are the major organs affected?

TheRespiratory tract, Gastrointestinal tract or Gut can be affected in most common cases of Wheat Allergy.

What are the key precautions to be taken?

The major precaution includes being aware of foods such as sauces that may have hidden sources of wheat proteins. Other food items that must be avoided include mostly baked products such as cakes, pretzels, muffins, waffles, and bread.

What are the foods to avoid if you are allergic to wheat?

You can still eat a wide variety of foods, but the grain source must be something other than wheat. Look for other grains such as amaranth, barley, corn, oat, quinoa, rice, rye and tapioca. However, you must avoid wheat and wheat products including Baked goods, including Bread crumbs, bulgur, cereal extract, club wheat, cakes, and Emmer.

Can Wheat allergy be cured?

Usually, particularly in adults, wheat allergies cannot be cured and those with wheat allergies must handle their condition by avoiding wheat. However, children may outgrow major food allergies, including allergies to wheat. Wheat allergies are typically seen in infants or toddlers. Sometimes, by around the age of five, children may no longer have the allergy.

How long do the wheat Allergy symptoms last?

Wheat allergy symptoms vary from person to person. They may be mild or severe. Allergy is typically outgrown by adulthood — about 65 percent of children with a wheat allergy will outgrow it by the time they are 12.

Do you think your child suffers from a wheat allergy?

Test for wheat Allergy and diagnostic tools include A Skin prick test where tiny drops of purified extracts for wheat proteins are pricked onto the skin’s surface. If a raised, reddish spot forms within 15 to 20 minutes, it is indicative of an apparent allergy.

Sohana Super Speciality hospital specializes in the Treatment of Celiac Disease and other food-related allergies providing world-class treatment to its patients.