Food allergies are common diseases. However, few people know that alcohol allergy can also occur. It results from hypersensitivity to selected ingredients of individual alcoholic beverages. They include fruit (wine), potatoes, grain, rice (vodka), yeast, barley, hops (beer). The alcohol that we most often reach for during seasonal barbecues is beer, which seems to be a seemingly innocent alcohol. Unfortunately, many people have a problem with allergies that occur after drinking beer. How to check it and how to deal with the problem?
Why are you allergic to beer?
There is a wide selection of beer varieties on the market that may contain potential allergens. Belong to them:
- yeast
- barley malt
- hop
- maize
- wheat
- rice
Each of the above ingredients can cause allergies, among them cereals (wheat, barley) are among the most allergenic. However, we may encounter a situation where allergic reactions occur only after drinking beer with another type of alcohol at the same time, then the harmful factor will be ethyl alcohol itself. Then it will be necessary to completely remove alcohol-containing beverages from the diet. It will also be necessary to give up cosmetics and pharmaceutical products that contain alcohol: perfumes, medicines or many types of shampoos.
Allergy symptoms
Beer allergy, like any food allergy, can manifest itself on the skin or in the form of stomach problems. However, it is so specific that it can lead to the simultaneous occurrence of skin and digestive symptoms. The most common symptoms are hives on the skin, severe swelling and shortness of breath. It may also meet the contact allergy, which occurs primarily in people who are in constant contact with individual substances that are part of beer, such as brewery employees or people using products containing beer concentrate.
Often symptoms allergies to barley sodium are discreet – there is a slight rash on the skin. Other symptoms may include:
- from the eyes: conjunctival redness, tearing, itching
- nose: watery discharge, sneezing, itching
- respiratory tract: cough, labored breathing
- Circulatory system: increased heart rate, lowering blood pressure
but if allergy If it is in the advanced stage, then it can have dangerous health effects, such as anaphylactic shock, which can occur even immediately after a few sips of beer.
How to treat beer allergy?
The only indicated and recommended form of treatment is the complete elimination of beer consumption and resignation from the purchase of products containing the concentrated form of beer. An aid in diagnosis is the observation of our body’s reaction to drunk beer or to contact with it or its individual components. Skin prick tests are also recommended. Which will include possible allergens, i.e. barley and rice.