Egg allergy advice from British Lion Eggs

Over the last 12 months my husband’s diet has changed dramatically due to him being diagnosed as suffering from the skin condition hidradenitis suppurativa, and he has been advised to avoid a large amount of food which you and me take for granted including grains, legumes & dairy. You can imagine that not being able to have any form of grains (bye bye pasta, bread, rice…) and potatoes we have had to do a lot of experimentation when it comes to organising meals! Luckily we can both eat eggs and will make great use of the electronic egg boiler* British Lion Eggs kindly gifted us.

Although hidradenitis suppurativa has no real cause (it seems to differ for every sufferer), it’s the body reacting to certain things and you can improve the symptoms by avoiding certain foods. Many people are effected by allergies or all forms (I myself have sensitisation to detergents and bananas!), so when British Lion Eggs gave me information about egg allergy I wanted to share them with you.

British-lion-EggsAmazingly food allergies have been growing in prevalence and it is believed that between 6-8% of children are effected with allergies being most common amongst babies and very young children. This prevalence becomes less common in children of 5 years plus and only occur in about 2% of adults. Egg allergy is estimated to affect between 0.5-2.5% of children with some experiencing serious consequences. Therefore a proper diagnosis is essential, either from a GP, or specialist allergy clinic

There are some foods which provoke allergic reactions in susceptible people more often than others, common allergies include fruits, shellfish and nuts,  because of a particular protein they contain with the size of the protein molecule being important,  and sometimes it is caused by proteins are more digestible, more easily absorbed and more stable than others. In its raw state the proteins which eggs contain are unfortunately just the right size and stability to cause allergies, but the good news is that the majority of these trigger proteins do not survive being heated which explains why egg allergy sufferers might tolerate some forms eggs when they have been really well cooked for example in cakes.

So, what are the symptoms of an egg allergy?  In the very young the symptoms usually start out as as eczema, when a sensitised baby first consumes egg the most common symptom is a red rash around the mouth appearing very quickly followed by swelling inside and around the mouth as well as the face in general. Some babies develop vomiting and, occasionally, loose stools. Older children may develop breathing problems once exposed, such as wheezing,sneezing, or runny eyes where as some reactions can be delayed rather than straight away. These slower reactions include symptoms of worsening of eczema or more chronic bowel symptoms with tummy swelling, pain, and either constipation or diarrhoea, and failure to gain weight.

Luckily most reactions are mild with just a rash but in rare cases children can experience anaphylaxis which is a total collapse and requires urgent medical attention. This sever reaction is much rarer than in babies with milk or nut allergies.

The allergy can develop in adult life but this is pretty uncommon, with symptoms similar to those suffered by children but particularly include skin swellings or eczema and asthma, which can develop more gradually.

If you think you or someone you know might have an egg allergy be sure to visit the GP to be checked. There are lots of great egg-free recipe websites out there which delicious recipes which leave out eggs – in particular I recommend the BBC Good Food Recipe site which has some great options.

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