Carrot allergy

Often, when reviewing their diet when their skin turns red and mucous membranes swell, people ask themselves: "Is there an allergy to carrots?" No matter how ridiculous the answer may sound, but yes, there is, and, moreover, this type of allergy is no easier than the others. This is because the product has a high degree of allergenic activity. After this, you begin to understand that you should not perceive an everyday vegetable as something harmless.

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Causes of Carrot Allergy

It should be noted that carrot allergy is not a food allergy. It usually affects people who suffer from pollen allergies (to birch, ragweed, dandelions, etc.). This is due to the fact that carrots contain proteins that are very similar to those found in pollen. An irritated organism is simply unable to distinguish between allergens and reacts to everything. And this indicates a weakened immune system.

In addition, eating raw carrots has a strong effect on people with liver disease and can provoke a disease such as hepatosis (fatty degeneration of the liver).

The causes of carrot allergies can also be individual intolerance to the vegetable or heredity.

People with diabetes or those with high blood sugar should not get carried away with this product - such treats will not do you any good, and in addition to your poor general condition, you also risk getting an allergy to carrots.

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Symptoms of Carrot Allergy

Most often, allergies occur after eating raw carrots, but there are cases when a person feels ill after eating a vegetable that has been heat-treated.

The main symptoms of carrot allergy:

• Abdominal pain.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Conjunctivitis.
• Swelling of the mucous membranes, lips and tongue.
• Nasal congestion, allergic rhinitis.
• Coughing and sneezing.
• Burning sensation in the mouth.
• Itching and eczema.
• Carotene jaundice.

Do not assume that carrot allergy is not a serious disease. It can result in anaphylactic shock, which leads to coma and even death. With anaphylactic shock, a person experiences:

• Difficulty breathing.
• Dizziness, confusion.
• Anxiety.
• Low blood pressure.

Allergy symptoms appear immediately after eating carrots or coming into contact with this vegetable (passing by it in the market or on the street).

Allergy to carrots in a child

A child's body, regardless of whether it is a baby or a toddler over one year old, is very susceptible to allergenic products. That is why doctors advise giving children some foods with special caution (or not giving them at all). Oddly enough, carrots are almost at the top of this list.

Experts recommend paying special attention to carrot juice, which is beloved by mothers, as it is not only rich in vitamins, but is also fraught with unnecessary troubles for your child.

Symptoms of allergies in children are not much different from those in adults. These are the same reddening of the skin and rash, swelling of the mucous membranes and abdominal pain, which provoke crying and capriciousness in the baby, refusal to eat.

In addition, both infants and adults develop carotid jaundice due to excessive consumption of carrots and carrot juice. The disease is accompanied by yellow-orange pigmentation of the skin (most often the palms and heels) and mucous membranes. This jaundice is also called "false" because it does not pose any danger to the health of the baby or adult. However, it is worth considering that pigmentation is the first sign that carrot consumption should be reduced.

Moms who are obsessed with feeding their children vitamins “from the garden” (in this case, vitamin A, which is good for the eyes) should remember that even their fanaticism can lead to an allergy to carrots in the child.

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Diagnosis of carrot allergy

An allergist diagnoses carrot allergy. To do this, he takes blood from a vein for analysis and determines the presence of the f31 protein in it.

Diagnosis of this type of allergy does not require any special preparation from the patient (fasting or stopping taking medications), and tests provide an answer after the first manifestations of the disease.

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Carrot Allergy Treatment

The most important stage of treating carrot allergy is a timely visit to a doctor. Only a qualified specialist can conduct a full diagnosis, identify the causes of the disease, and prescribe competent treatment.

In addition, it is important to remember that allergy sufferers who cannot tolerate carrots should avoid contact with pollen and the vegetable itself. After all, your condition may worsen even if you simply walk through a market or store where carrots are located.

Unfortunately, if the doctor has found that you are hypersensitive to the orange storehouse of vitamins, you will not be able to avoid unpleasant allergy symptoms. Therefore, to alleviate them and improve the general condition, the following medications are prescribed:

• Cromoghexal – spray for allergic rhinitis (for children and adults – one spray in each nostril 4 times a day).
• Cromoghexal, as eye drops (for children and adults – one drop 4 times a day).
• Singulair – for seasonal rhinitis and bronchial asthma due to allergies (adults and children over 15 years old – 1 tablet of 10 mg in the evening, children 2-5 years old – 1 tablet of 4 mg once a day, children 6-14 years old – 1 tablet of 5 mg once a day).
• Telfast (adults and children over 12 years old – 1 tablet of 120-180 mg once a day, children from 6 to 11 – two tablets of 30 mg per day).
• Suprastin (for adults – 1 tablet of 0.025 2-3 times a day during meals or intravenously and intramuscularly – 1-2 ml of a 2% solution, for children – half or a quarter of a tablet of 0.025 depending on age).

In addition to drug treatment, there are also folk remedies that are not a panacea, but can help in the fight against carrot allergies:

• For allergies, an infusion of herbs from strawberry leaves (3 parts), wormwood (2 parts), dandelion and burdock root, and nettle (4 parts) is effective. Grind the herbs, pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with one glass of boiling water and leave overnight. Take a strained glass of the decoction three times a day.
• If you suffer from severe rashes, take note of this recipe: pour 1 tablespoon of dead nettle flowers with a glass of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes, strain; take 1 glass of warm decoction 3 times a day before meals.

If you are not allergic to bee products, you can treat yourself with honeycombs - chew them 2-3 times a day for 10-15 minutes.

Prevention of carrot allergy

Perhaps the most sensible decision that an allergy sufferer can make is to completely eliminate carrots from their diet. In addition, it is not worth taking risks and it is advisable to limit yourself even from contact with the vegetable when preparing food.

Always control what you eat outside the home (cafe, restaurant or visiting), do not allow carrots to get on your plate even in processed (boiled or fried) form!

You should also remember that carrot juice and all drinks to which it is added are now taboo for you!

As sad as it may sound, those who have discovered hypersensitivity to the product will have to forget about carrots, a storehouse of vitamins, forever. Take care of your health, follow simple rules, and then you will never be bothered by an allergy to carrots!