If you experience bloating, hives, fatigue, or a general feeling of being unwell after eating, you may wonder whether you have a food allergy. But before an Atlanta allergist can provide a food allergy treatment plan, they first need to determine whether you actually have an allergy or a food sensitivity. While the two conditions share some common symptoms, they differ in important ways. Understanding the key differences can help you find relief.
How to Tell if You Have a Food Allergy or a Food Sensitivity
Food allergies and food sensitivities are both common causes of discomfort after eating foods like milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. If you’re experiencing symptoms, here’s how to tell them apart.
How the Immune System Responds
Food allergies occur when the immune system incorrectly identifies food proteins as being harmful. After eating even small amounts of a specific food, the immune system will release histamine and other chemicals which trigger skin, digestive and respiratory symptoms. Unlike food allergies, food sensitivities do not involve the immune system, and they are typically driven by the digestive system’s inability to break down certain foods.
How Quickly and Severely Symptoms Can Appear
Food allergy symptoms usually appear within the first couple of hours after eating, and often within minutes. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can be unpredictable. In contrast, symptoms from food sensitivities may not be felt for several hours or even a day later, with uncomfortable but less intense reactions.
How Food Allergies and Sensitivities Are Diagnosed
Food allergy testing detects triggers by looking at how your immune system reacts to certain foods. In most cases, skin prick testing is used to diagnose an allergy, though blood testing and oral food challenges are also reliable options. Sensitivities are more difficult to diagnose, and doctors typically recommend an elimination diet to see how a patient responds when specific foods are removed.
When Reactions Can Become Life-Threatening
Food sensitivity reactions are often uncomfortable, but not life-threatening. Food allergies, however, can cause severe reactions that require an emergency response. When a patient has difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat or tongue and a drop in blood pressure, they are likely experiencing anaphylaxis and require epinephrine.
How Food Allergies and Food Sensitivities Are Managed
Food allergies are managed through strict avoidance, with medication, or through oral immunotherapy treatment programs that desensitize the immune system to a specific food allergen. For food sensitivities, making dietary changes to limit or eliminate the trigger food is usually the first step, with enzyme supplements used in some cases.
Visit Us for Food Allergy Testing in the Atlanta Area
If you’re confused by food allergies and food sensitivities, the team at Chacko Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center can help. We provide dependable food allergy testing at locations across the Atlanta area. Call (678) 668-4688 or request an appointment now.
