Wheat Allergy

An abnormal immune system reaction to one or many proteins present in wheat is called 'wheat allergy'. Children are more susceptible to this type of food allergy, which usually develops during infancy and outgrows between the age of 3 to 5 years. What happens exactly to a person affected by wheat allergy is that the immune system in the body develops an antibody or a disease fighting agent to one or many wheat proteins. People often confuse wheat allergy with celiac disease. However, celiac disease and gluten allergy are two different conditions and have no relation whatsoever. In celiac disease, the immune system reaction results in causing inflammation in the small intestines. Hence, it is a digestive system disorder and it occurs when the person consumes food containing gluten (type of protein found in wheat, barley, rye and in oats sometimes). While allergic reaction to wheat or g;uten is outgrown before the child reaches adulthood or even before that in many cases, the person suffering from celiac disease has a lifelong restriction to consume anything that contains gluten.

Symptoms of Gluten Allergy
Wheat allergy symptoms are more often than not similar to that of asthma, atopic dermatitis or eczema and can even sometimes cause a deadly reaction called anaphylaxis, which has its own symptoms. The signs can start to appear in a few minutes or it could take a few hours to show up.

• Hives
• Itchy skin rash
• Swelling of skin
• Itchy and watery eyes
• Trouble breathing
• Swelling, itching and irritation in the throat and mouth
• Congestion in the nose
• Nausea/Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Anaphylaxis

In addition to the above mentioned signs and symptoms of gluten allergy, anaphylaxis can cause symptoms such as tightness and swelling of the throat, trouble swallowing and a severe difficulty in breathing, dizziness, pale and blue skin, chest pain and a weak pulse. Besides the aforementioned symptoms, wheat allergy symptoms in adults include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite and lethargy.

Wheat Allergy Diet
To avoid getting this allergy, one must stick to a diet wherein all the products containing wheat should be eliminated from the food ingested. Read the labels on the products to ensure that it does not contain any of the following ingredients:

• Bran
• Cracker meal
• Sprouted wheat
• Vital gluten
• Wheat germ
• Wheat starch
• Wheat gluten
• High protein flour
• Durum
• High gluten flour
• Couscous
• Einkorn
• Farina
• Emmer
• Cereal extract
• Enriched flour
• Wheat malt
• Spelt
• Graham flour
• Whole wheat berries

Some of the other ingredients that might contain wheat protein include gelatinized starch, soy sauce, modified food starch, kamut, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, gum, modified starch and vegetable starch. Some of the foods to avoid include the following:

• Donuts
• French toast
• Bread stuffing
• Rusk
• Waffles
• Pretzels and crackers
• Semolina
• Cereal beverages made from wheat products including beer, ale and root beer
• Ice cream cones
• Cookies
• Salad dressing thickened using wheat flour and soup thickened using wheat flour
• Meatloafs
• Malted milk

Those were some of the foods to avoid for wheat allergic people. Basically, one should not eat anything that contains wheat/wheat proteins and, therefore, when purchasing food products, it is essential not to miss out on checking the labels for the ingredients. Remember, prevention is better than cure and more so when it comes to food allergies which are very much controllable.

Gluten Allergy Treatment
The treatment of this condition requires a person to undertake a combination of tests, which mostly consists of the following:

• Skin Test - Upper back or forearm are the two common areas where the skin test is carried out. Small drops of wheat protein extract is dropped on the skin surface and is left on the skin for about 15 minutes to check for signs of any allergic reaction on the skin. Those with allergy develop a red itchy bump.
• Blood Test - A blood test is carried out when the skin test is not possible because of reasons such as a pre-existing skin condition or the intake of certain medications. Blood test helps in screening allergy causing antibodies to common allergens such as wheat proteins.
• Food Challenge Test - In this test, one needs to eat capsules that contain food suspected to be the allergy causing agent. The person is kept under observation for a few hours or a few days in a hospital to be monitored for any allergy symptoms.

Those were some of the tests that are usually conducted to identify wheat allergy. In early stages of diagnosis, doctors recommend those who complain of allergy to maintain a food diary with a detailed record of food consumed and make a note in the diary of any symptoms that were experienced. Once the common allergen is identified, the doctors suggest a diet free of those common allergens.