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Allergy to melon today occurs in adults and children. Despite the beneficial properties, rich chemical composition and taste, this product can become the strongest allergen, the cause of many unpleasant symptoms. Even grown in an ecologically clean environment, melon can cause damage to human health, and if medical assistance is not provided on time, it can even lead to hospitalization and death.
Can you be allergic to melon
If you are allergic to melon, you can get unpleasant symptoms that will cause you to refuse to use, despite the taste, low calorie content, and properties of the fetus. The high content of sodium, potassium, iron, vitamins C and B6 are important for those suffering from heart disease, anemia, rheumatism. Folic acid contained in melon is useful for pregnant and lactating women.
The presence of an allergy turns the pros of the product into cons: a person cannot consume juice, melon pulp, supplements based on it.
It is noticed that there is an allergy to melon in the case of an existing reaction to the flowering of ragweed, coinciding in time with the pollination of the plant.
The reaction is caused by chocolate, citrus fruits, milk. Melon is not included in the list, but can provoke a similar action. The reason for this is the serotonins that are part of it.
There are cases of cross-allergy, when a reaction to one product causes a similar effect from others.
Why melon causes allergies
Melon allergy is caused by the profilin protein contained in its composition, as well as in citrus fruits, birch sap, plant pollen, and latex.
Factors that provoke a reaction include:
- eating a product in large quantities;
- development of cross-allergy;
- contamination of the place of growth of the fetus;
- crossing different varieties;
- pesticide poisoning.
With excessive passion for melon, allergy symptoms are temporary, passing. If you stop using the product and carry out symptomatic treatment, the symptoms disappear.
Cross-allergy comes down to a reaction to similar vegetables: watermelons, pumpkins, as well as cucumbers, ambrosia.
Melon will cause allergies after consumption if the product is grown in an ecologically unclean area.
When crossing varieties, breeders get a new one, with improved qualities. The human body adapts to it with difficulty: rejection reactions may occur.
Allergies are often mistaken for symptoms of poisoning from chemicals that have accumulated in the melon as a result of their use during cultivation. You should pay attention to the color of the pulp, peel, leaves. In the presence of spots of unnatural shades, it is worth refusing to use the fetus.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction
An allergic reaction to melon manifests itself through the organs:
- breathing;
- skin;
- gastrointestinal tract.
It is recognized by its characteristic symptoms:
- dizziness;
- headache that starts very abruptly;
- tingling in the mouth and on the lips;
- gastrointestinal disorders;
- redness of the skin, accompanied by severe itching;
- skin rash;
- nausea, vomiting;
- nasal congestion, copious discharge;
- tearing and redness of the eyes;
- loss of consciousness, suffocation.
If all the symptoms correspond to allergies, they turn to a specialist: the allergist makes the final diagnosis.
How does a melon allergy manifest in children?
Allergy to melon is common in children. The child’s immune system reacts to the substances included in the melon as unknown, alien, dangerous. The body tries to cope with them by intensively producing histamine. As a result, an allergic reaction appears, manifested by symptoms:
- the skin turns red, blisters appear on the body;
- urticaria is accompanied by severe itching, causing suffering to the child;
- there is nausea, vomiting;
- frequent disruptions in the digestive system (gas formation, diarrhea);
- melon tickles in the throat, coughing begins;
- there is rhinitis, sneezing;
- the child complains of dizziness, tingling in the mouth.
Of particular danger to the child’s body is a severe form – Quincke’s edema, or anaphylactic shock. This form is rare, but it is fatal.
If a child complains that after a melon it tickles in the throat, swelling appears on the face, there are other specific symptoms, it is urgent to call an ambulance. Quincke’s edema develops rapidly: there may be suffocation, a drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness. Delay is unacceptable.
What measures need to be taken
Acute allergies require an emergency call. At the pre-medical stage, others help according to the standard scheme, depending on the nature of the symptoms:
- acute swelling of the larynx – you should ensure the flow of fresh air, raise your head, give an antihistamine, apply mustard plasters on the chest, calf muscles;
- limited swelling – monitor breathing, apply the necessary drug, apply a compress to swollen places;
- asthma attack – remove the allergen, ventilate the room, give an enema, give activated charcoal, bronchodilators, antihistamines;
- hives – wash the stomach with two liters of water, offer the drug, in case of respiratory failure, carry out artificial ventilation of the lungs;
- anaphylactic shock – check airway patency, carry out resuscitation measures.
In what cases you need to see a doctor
An allergy is definitely a reason to see a doctor. The therapist will conduct an examination, question the patient and take an anamnesis. An unclear picture of the disease becomes the reason for visiting an allergist, who will prescribe several studies:
- antibody test – showing the presence of an allergen in the body;
- skin tests – to assess the reaction to melon.
Procedures are contraindicated for children, pregnant women, patients taking medications. In such cases, a false positive reaction is possible.
The doctor will advise keeping a food diary, tracking reactions to different foods.
An elimination diet, consisting in the exclusion of individual foods in turn, allows you to identify the allergen.
Is it possible to eat melon with allergies
There are no hypoallergenic products: each in an individual case can become dangerous. People are prone to a variety of manifestations of allergies. The situation is exacerbated during an exacerbation of the underlying disease. Experts give strict recommendations regarding the principles of nutrition for food allergies to melon:
- rejection of products that cause a reaction;
- exclusion of the possibility of cross-allergy;
- careful study of the composition of products, with the possible content of melon;
- refusal of unknown dishes;
- the use of home cooking, without the use of semi-finished products;
- exclusion of long-term storage of the product before consumption or preparation;
- limiting the intake of salt, simple carbohydrates;
- reduction of allergenic properties of melon, due to its heat treatment.
Conclusion
Allergy to melon is not a harmless disease. A person should know the products that cause a reaction, avoid their use, use dishes with a minimum set of ingredients in the diet. You should find out the causes of allergies, consult a doctor about eating behavior, measures to prevent the consequences of pathology. At the same time, it is necessary to monitor the composition of dishes, cosmetics, products with melon in the composition.
