World Allergy Week (June 23-29) is in full swing. And this year, food allergies take the spotlight. They’re becoming more common in people of all ages around the world. And awareness is the name of the game…
World Allergy Week 2024 is focusing on food allergies this year. And it stressing three key points. Food allergies can be life threatening. The physician-patient relationship is essential. And allergies – which are all around us – are a shared responsibility. The bottom line: We all need to be allergy-aware.
Resources readily available
The World Allergy Organization (WAO) offers a wealth of resources for sufferers, physicians and the public. And it hopes folks everywhere will take advantage of its largess.
The WAO is emphasizing global awareness as the most important factor in preventing allergy attacks.
Symptoms and syndromes
Would you recognize an allergy attack if you saw one taking place? Some of the most common symptoms of food allergy include:
- feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
- itchy skin or a raised rash (hives)
- swelling of the lips, face and eyes (angioedema)
- coughing, wheezing, breathlessness, noisy breathing or a hoarse voice.
- sneezing or an itchy, runny or blocked nose.
- feeling sick or being sick.
- stomach pain.
- diarrhoea.
How many of the above were new to you?
Alarming increase
In spite of new therapies and an overall increase in allergy awareness, the WAO says the incidence of allergies is increasing
“Some potential causes for this increase can be attributed to environmental factors, with cleaner environments possibly leading to under-stimulated immune systems (the hygiene hypothesis),” says Prof Mike Levin, CEO of the Allergy Foundation of South Africa (AFSA).
“Another possible cause is dietary changes, with children being exposed to allergenic foods later than before, and people being exposed to changing food-processing methods, an increase in sugary, fatty, processed foods, and a reduction in ‘whole’ foods rich in antioxidants. Increased antibiotic and anti-acid use may have also contributed.”
My take
Aside from sufferers, it’s not just restaurant operators, caterers and food processors who need to be allergy-aware. As the WAO points out, we all need to be aware, both of the potential causes of food allergey attacks and who among our family and friends are susceptible.
I wouldn’t want to be the one who served a dish with ‘hidden’ nuts or nut oil in it to someone I didn’t know was allergic to nuts!
~ Maggie J.