Chicken allergy in adults
Low-fat chicken is a great protein option for lunch or dinner. Only dishes from it are not suitable for those who are allergic to chicken. We will tell you if it occurs in adults, how to prevent, than to treat

What is Chicken Allergy in Adults?

There are 14 causes, including foods that cause 90% of cases of food allergies: egg, milk, wheat, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, peanuts, sesame, hazelnuts, soybeans, mustard, celery, sulfites, lupins. There are no chickens among them, but allergies still occur.

– A food allergy, in our case to chicken, is an adverse immune response (usually mediated by IgE), it is caused by a specific food, – told Olesya Ivanova, an allergist.

Can adults be allergic to chicken?

Chicken is one of the most popular meat products. It is inexpensive, the dishes from it are varied and tasty. However, many people cannot eat it due to food allergies. Unfortunately, allergies can strike a person at any age. So, if you have not had it since childhood, this is not a reason to rejoice, it can appear at any age, even if there was not a hint before.

According to the specialist, those suffering from an allergy to chicken will also suffer from an allergy to chicken and other eggs.

This syndrome is called “bird – egg”.

How does chicken allergy manifest in adults?

A chicken allergy can manifest itself in completely different ways. Someone has swollen eyelids, a second has a runny nose, sneezing, a third suffers from anaphylaxis (the most serious and severe symptom).

Still, there are a few common symptoms of a chicken allergy:

  • itchy skin, itchy eyes;
  • runny nose and sneezing;
  • shortness of breath, it becomes difficult to breathe;
  • nausea and vomiting;
  • hives.

Note that symptoms will appear when a person “meets” or consumes an allergen. In this case, chicken meat, egg or feathers.

How to treat chicken allergy in adults

As the specialist explains, the symptoms of a chicken allergy will disappear as soon as you remove the allergen. It is also dangerous to eat soup with chicken broth, so in cafes and restaurants, check if the dish contains chicken or its components.

Diagnostics

At the slightest suspicion of a chicken allergy, consult a doctor so that an allergist can help you with this ailment.

The doctor will interview you, examine your skin, make a molecular diagnosis of an allergy, or perform a skin test with chicken meat. Based on the results of the tests, the specialist will prescribe individual treatment and diet therapy. If necessary, the doctor will also prescribe medications to relieve allergy symptoms.

Modern methods

One important treatment for allergies is avoiding contact with chicken. Symptoms disappear as soon as you remove the allergen.

Doctor Olesya Ivanova advises to carefully study the composition of the products you buy. This is especially true for semi-finished products.

– There are also three ways to control food allergies. If you stop eating chicken, then it will no longer appear, but in this case it is important to study the composition of the products. Don’t buy a product that doesn’t list the ingredients. The second point is the treatment of symptoms with epinephrine (adrenaline). The treatment method is very effective if you start to introduce it in a timely manner. And the third is immunotherapy, 30-80% of the effectiveness is at the research stage, says the doctor.

Prevention of chicken allergy in adults at home

If you know you’re allergic to chicken, avoid anything related to it – remove it from your diet and read the ingredients. Unfortunately, chicken can even be found in hamburgers or other ground meat dishes. If the waiter/cook doubts the composition of the cutlet, it is better not to order it.

If you have pillows or blankets with chicken feathers at home, you can get rid of them. The thing is that often a patient with an allergy to chicken reacts sharply to its feathers.

Popular questions and answers

Answered popular questions about chicken allergy allergist-immunologist, candidate of medical sciences, member of the European and Russian Association of Allergists and Clinical Immunologists Olesya Ivanova.

Can there be complications with a chicken allergy?
Some patients are diagnosed with a simple food intolerance, while others have a true allergy. The former can eat chicken in small quantities and very rarely, that is, they just need to reduce the amount of chicken they eat. The second is to avoid it.

Complications are rare – mostly urticaria and anaphylaxis. But if an anaphylactic reaction does appear at least once, you will have to carry an adrenaline dispenser with you, a doctor will prescribe it for you. With an anaphylactic reaction, the patient develops itching, skin rashes and shortness of breath.

If you are allergic to chicken, does that mean you will be allergic to other poultry as well?
Often, if there is an allergy to chicken, this does not mean that it will also be for the meat of other birds. Therefore, you can eat turkey meat.
How to replace chicken if you are allergic to it?
The fact that a person is allergic to chicken does not mean that he will be allergic to the meat of other birds. A person allergic to chicken can substitute it for turkey.
How to reduce allergy symptoms if there are no medicines on hand?
There are several ways:

● rinse the nose with saline solutions – this helps to relieve swelling and inflammation, remove mucus, it is most convenient to use ready-made pharmacy sprays that supply saline under pressure;

● hot shower – steam from hot water reduces swelling of the mucosa and facilitates the discharge of nasal secretions;

● tea with mint – menthol has a decongestant and expectorant effect;

● humidify the air – too dry air exacerbates allergy symptoms, humidity from 40 to 60% is considered comfortable – you can use a humidifier or hang a wet sheet in the room;

● frequent washing – with allergic conjunctivitis, it is important to wash off the allergen from the mucous membrane of the eye;

● cold helps relieve itchy skin if it is allergic.

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