Allergy to honey

Fortunately, allergies to honey are rare. According to statistics in the world, less than 1% of the population suffers from this disease. However, in recent years, the number of cases has been increasing. This type of allergy is more common in children, but they tolerate it more easily. In adults, symptoms may be more severe.

Causes of honey allergy

One of the reasons, as well as with other types of allergies, is hereditary predisposition. If parents have an allergy to honey, the likelihood of it in children is much higher. For example, if one of the parents suffers from allergies, the probability of the disease in the child is 30%. And if both dad and mom have an ailment, the probability rises to 60 – 70%.

Another reason for allergies may not be honey itself, as such, but pollen, which is contained in it in small quantities. Pollen allergies are quite common. There is evidence of the possibility of reducing the allergic properties of the protein by heat treatment.

Another interesting fact: most often, allergies are caused by summer and late summer varieties of honey. But from May honey (for example, from acacia), an allergy occurs extremely rarely.

By the way, honey, which is produced by large enterprises in an industrial way, usually does not provoke allergies – it is purified from pollen impurities. But farm honey, or honey produced by private traders, which is considered the best, natural, healing, can cause allergies, because no one does any cleaning of pollen during handicraft production.

How does honey allergy manifest?

Symptoms of an allergy to honey can be very different:

• from the respiratory system – cough, runny nose, spasms in the bronchi, shortness of breath;
• from the digestive system – swelling and spasms, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat;
• from the side of the cardiovascular system – low blood pressure and arrhythmia;
• from the nervous system – headaches, dizziness, fainting;
• on the skin – urticaria, dermatitis, eczema.

Honey can cause severe manifestations of allergic reactions – Quincke’s edema (in case of laryngeal edema, it is dangerous for the appearance of acute respiratory failure if medical assistance is not provided in time) and anaphylactic shock, and this is already a deadly condition.

How to treat an allergy to honey

If the allergy to honey manifests itself quite strongly, then the best option is to completely abandon it, since even microdoses of the allergen can cause anaphylaxis.

Diagnostics

As a rule, the doctor interviews the patient to find out which product is under suspicion. It happens that this is enough, the picture is obvious.

The doctor may also prescribe a skin test, when different types of allergens are applied to it, and then scratches or punctures are made to understand which irritant the body is responding to. This study is carried out strictly outside the exacerbation and flowering season, more often a laboratory test is done to determine antibodies to a suspected allergen.

Modern methods

If the allergy to honey manifests itself strongly, antihistamines will help relieve unpleasant symptoms, and in severe cases, glucocorticosteroids. But they have contraindications, so they should be used only on the recommendation of a doctor.

Also for the treatment of allergies, the so-called allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) is used. Its essence is as follows: the patient is injected subcutaneously or dripped under the tongue with causally significant allergens. At first, quite a bit, in a dose that does not cause an allergic reaction. Then the dose is gradually increased so that the immune cells “get used” to the allergen and do not show an inadequate reaction. This is a very long treatment, it takes 3-5 years, but in the end it significantly reduces the allergic reaction.

Prevention of allergies to honey at home

The easiest way to avoid an allergy to honey is not to eat it. You also need to carefully study the composition of the products, especially confectionery – there may also be honey.

If suddenly you ate honey, or pastries, without knowing its composition, and you understand that an allergic reaction is starting, drink any sorbent that will bind the remnants of the allergen in the intestines and prevent it from getting into the blood. Or eat regular oatmeal – it has enveloping properties.

If you have a severe allergic reaction, call an ambulance immediately!

Popular questions and answers

We asked a doctor to answer typical questions about honey allergy allergist-immunologist, Ph.D. Anastasia Tsyvkina.