Fruit Allergy

Fruit allergy is usually is caused by a cross-reaction to pollens called “Oral Allergy Syndrome”

Oral Allergy Syndrome

Fruits and nuts can cause allergy symptoms by being immunologically mistaken for pollen.
This is called the “Oral allergy syndrome” or OAS.  It is an allergy to certain foods, usually:

• Fresh fruits
• Nuts
• Vegetables

This causes an allergic reaction in the mouth and throat. 
This “Oral allergy syndrome” type of allergic reaction usually occurs in people who are troubled with “hay fever”. 
If they have hay fever symptoms in the spring, due to birch pollen (and late summer hay fever due to ragweed pollen, especially in the USA).

Another term used to describe this syndrome is “Pollen-Food Allergy”.

Symptoms

Symptoms usually occur almost immediately, that is within minutes of eating the “trigger food”. 
Sometimes reactions may also occur from just handling the raw trigger food.
The most common symptoms are experienced in the lips, mouth, and throat:

• Swelling
• Itching
• Burning

In addition, then can be itching eyes, watery eyes, runny nose and sneezing.  Sometimes this can progress to symptoms in the gut such as: vomiting, diarrhoea, gastric reflux and abdominal cramps.

The cause of all of these problems is the cross-reactivity between pollen allergy and common food chemicals.

We can help you with a specialist consultation diagnose and manage this problem at the Childrens Clinic | Allergy Centre, Christchurch.