Many people suffer from food allergies which can generally be traced to a specific ingredient in a culinary preparation. Some people are allergic to MSG (monosodium glutamate), others are allergic to peanuts and so on. The most common foods that elicit allergic reactions include The symptoms for each food allergy also differ. It's important to identify the ingredient as some reactions can be very severe and can even result in death.
Apricot allergies have been noticeably on the rise lately. As the name indicates it refers to an allergy that develops when a person eats apricots or any food item that includes this ingredient. Apricot allergies are of two broad types, each of which are experienced in different regions. One of these forms is relatively mild while the other can be very dangerous.
The milder allergic reaction to apricots generally occurs in countries located in northern Europe. People who develop this allergy here find their immune systems reacting to a specific protein found in the fruit. This allergic reaction is similar to the one caused by birch pollen (which is a reaction to a similar protein) and is commonly referred to as "birch-fruit syndrome." This is considered a milder reaction because the symptoms and the area affected are limited to the mouth. Such an allergy is called OAS or Oral Allergy Syndrome. The allergen in this case only causes a reaction when it's in the raw form. When apricots are cooked, this allergen is destroyed making the food item safe for ingestion. So, individuals exhibiting this form of apricot allergy can eat cooked or processed apricots without any adverse effects. However, they also tend to exhibit a similar allergic reaction to other fruits, nuts and vegetables such as cherries, apples, pears, walnuts, hazelnuts, carrots, etc.
The more serious form of apricot allergy occurs in the Mediterranean region. Here the primary allergy is caused by pears. So, people who are allergic to pears can also begin to exhibit the same reaction to apricots as both these fruits have some similarities in terms of allergens. These allergens are also far more resistant and can survive cooking and other industrial or home processes involved in making juices and jams. So, such individuals do best to avoid apricots in all forms (both fresh and processed). Such an allergic reaction can cause OAS as well but it generally isn't limited to that. Symptoms include severe vomiting, urticaria (a breaking out of itchy hives on the skin surface), pain in the abdominal area, asthma, headaches, and severe anaphylaxis.
An anaphylactic reaction is considered to be very rare but serious enough to result in death. The symptoms of such an attack develop very rapidly in a matter of minutes. The face swells rapidly as does the mouth. The throat and the nose get clogged as well as the lungs. The skin turns red and begins to feel itchy, the nose begins to run and eyes begin to water. The person experiencing the attack might soon find it difficult to breathe and start wheezing. Blood pressure can also drop and the body can go into shock very rapidly. The combination of all these symptoms can cause death in a short time if the person isn't provided medical attention at the earliest. This is generally in the form of an antihistamine medicines and decongestants to open up the air passages and aid the individual in breathing.
Food allergies such as apricot allergies are believed to be passed on from one generation to the other. However, that doesn't mean that the child will definitely develop an allergy to substances his parents have known to be prone to.
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