Cross-allergy - when pollen and food irritate together

Cross-allergies occur when the immune system mixes up allergens with a similar structure. Find out which combinations are common and what helps against them.

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Wissenswertes über "Cross allergy"

A cross allergy occurs when the immune system confuses similarly structured allergens from different sources.

People with a pollen allergy are particularly frequently affected, in whom after eating certain foods (e.g. fruit, vegetables, nuts) sudden allergic reactions occur. e.g. fruit, vegetables, nuts) suddenly allergic reactions occur. This is also referred to as a pollen-associated food allergy - it is the most common form of cross-reaction.

Typical are oral allergy symptoms such as itchiness in the mouth, Tingling of the lips or palate, swelling or a furry feeling in the throat. These symptoms often occur within minutes of consumption and are usually harmless - in rare cases, however, they can also lead to systemic reactions such as shortness of breath or a skin rash. The cause lies in the structural similarity of allergen proteins in pollen and certain foods.

The most common combinations include:

Birch pollen: Apple, hazelnut, carrot, celery, soya
Grass pollen: tomato, peanut, wheat
Mugwort pollen: Celery, Carrots, Herbs, Spices
Latex: banana, avocado, kiwi, sweet chestnut

Therapeutic help Allergen avoidance, gentle preparation (e.g. heating destroys many heat-inducing substances). Heating destroys many heat-labile allergens) and - in severe cases - hyposensitisation to the primary allergen (e.g. birch pollen). In addition, immunomodulation with lactoferrin, Vitamin C, Quercetin or Omega-3 fatty acids may be useful to inflammatory processes and to mitigate histamine reactions .