Almond Allergy

Almond allergy is a hypersensitivity reaction to almonds characterized by symptoms such as oral allergy syndrome, tingling in the lips and mouth, swelling of face, rashes and colicky pain in abdomen. Almond allergy is one form of tree nut allergy.

According to reports, it has come into picture that there are around 5 million Americans suffered from Almond allergy. It is one of the prevalent kind of allergy, which is common in both adults and children. They do tend to last for longer duration and in some cases, it could be for the entire life span. There are chances that it outgrows in some cases, but the younger children are having a higher risk of being allergic to almonds.

If I suffer from almond allergy, have I also been allergic to other nuts?

It is not necessary that if you are allergic to almonds, you will be allergic to all nuts. Almond is one kind of tree nuts, so you may be allergic to all tree nuts, but not all nuts. The family of tree nuts includes:

1. Almonds
2. Brazil Nuts
3. Cashews
4. Chestnuts
5. Hazel nuts
6. Hickory nuts
7. Macadamia Nuts
8. Pecans
9. Pine Nuts
10. Walnuts

Peanuts are distinct from tree nuts, so you will not be allergic to peanuts. Alternatively, if you are allergic to peanuts, then you will not be allergic to tree nuts. However, children with tree nut allergy may also suffer from peanuts allergy and vice versa. It is rare in adults to be allergic to all nuts at the same time.

Peanuts are considered as legumes and they grow underground. Even though the peanuts are not at all tree nuts, but people who are suffering from these allergies are having same reactions, which are visible in the tree nut cases.

In addition, tree nuts also have multiple sub categories and classes. Therefore, you may be allergic to one class of tree nuts, not all. For instance, walnuts are not related with almonds, so you might not be allergic to walnut if you are hypersensitive to almond intake. Therefore, there are possibilities of affliction with single nut allergy and you can eat other ones. Formal allergy tests can help you to figure out about the probability of allergic to different kinds of nuts.

Symptoms & Diagnosis of almond Allergy

Severity of the allergy induces reactions, which could range from oral syndrome, which could include itching in the mouth or tongue, which could result just after chewing or digesting the fruit. The impact of allergy would depend on the amount of ingredient’s proteins it contains. The almond allergy symptoms are common in kids, but they are rare in adults.

Symptoms and signs of mild almond allergy

1. Nettle rashes
2. Colicky pain in the abdomen
3. Itching (generalized)
4. Itchy eyes
5. Itchy mouth
6. Tingling mouth
7. Feeling tightness around the throat
8. Nasal congestion
9. Redness around lips
10. Redness of the skin
11. Swelling on the face
12. Watery eyes
13. Headache

Symptoms and signs of severe almond allergy

1. Wheezing
2. Severe skin rash
3. Swelling around the throat
4. Lightheadedness
5. Low blood pressure
6. Lip swelling
7. Tachycardia – increased heart rate
8. Throat swelling
9. Tongue swelling
10. Trouble breathing – Asthma like symptoms

Other associated symptoms

1. Constipation
2. Disturbed sleep
3. Diarrhea
4. Headache
5. Hoarseness
6. Nausea or Vomiting
7. Red eyes
8. Runny nose
9. Skin flushing
10. Sinus pain
11. Sneezing
12. Swallowing problems

When a person becomes allergic to almonds, then the immune system considers it as a harmful thing (allergen) and tries to protect the body from it.

In case the person witnesses an allergic to almonds, then for the first time there are no symptoms visible. Whereas when it enters for the second time, the immune system is ready to fight with allergens (almond proteins). The immune system is ready by releasing the chemical named as histamine and it is the one, which causes allergy.

There could be running nose, worsening of Asthma, sneezing which could occur due to such an allergy. In case, if the breathing problem increases then it is for sure that, you should rush to emergency medical aid. In many of the cases, the allergy could result in the skin problems. This could result into the appearances of the rashes, which could itch or may not do so. Hive a kind of rash may develop and result into redness of areas of skin, which could burn or itch. People who are suffering from mild almond allergy could fall into a skin condition, which is named as eczema.

Treatments for almond Allergy

Avoid nuts

The best possible treatment of almond allergy is to avoid taking almonds and foods that contain with almonds. The vigilant avoidance of almonds, almond butter and almond oil is helpful. However, your doctor may ask you to avoid all types of tree nuts thinking that you would also be allergic to them. In acute conditions, you should avoid all tree nuts.

Treatment of acute reactions due to almond allergy

In some cases, anaphylaxis may occur, which need immediate emergency treatment with epinephrine.

If you are asthmatic patients and almond allergy can worsen the conditions, you may need rescue inhalers or in emergency, you may need similar treatment as of asthma that may include bronchodilators and steroids.

Prevention & Nutritional Therapy for almond allergy

The best possible means to get the allergy solved is that you should be cautious while you are taking any food, which is having almonds as its ingredients. If you seek precautions then only you would be gaining benefit and could help your health improving.

Recommended Foods

All fruits and vegetables are good for regular consumption in case of almond allergy. Milk and milk products without tree nuts can be taken. Recommended herbs and spices include black pepper, ginger, garlic and nutmeg. In non-vegetarian food, you can eat beef, lamb, veal, shellfish, eggs, fish and pork.

Questions & Answers

Is there any way to eliminate this allergy?

Avoiding almonds is an only possible way yet available. But alternative medicine may help to reduce intolerance to almonds. If you suffer from an acute condition due to almonds, then the same treatment would be followed that of nut allergy and other allergic reactions.

The sufferer should also check the cereal products before buying and some of them might contain a small amount of almonds or other nuts.

I found my throat starts itching after eating almonds. Is this sign of an almond allergy? Is it possible that I might be allergic to the almonds?

Yes, extreme itching in the throat can be a sign of almond allergy. You may suffer from the mild allergic reaction. It does not always necessary that you will also suffer from an allergic reaction after eating other nuts. The science has many exceptions.

Can almond allergy be life threatening?

There are very rare life-threatening reactions that may occur with the almond allergy, but nut allergies, sometimes, can become life threatening when they are not properly rescued in time. In serious outcome, the patient may need antihistamines, adrenaline (epinephrine) or glucocorticoids.

I was not allergic to the almonds as I was eating almonds since my childhood, but now my doctor said I am allergic to almonds and stop eating it. I feel tightness in throat and difficulty in breathing after eating almonds. Can this be possible that a person can develop an almond allergy in later age?

Yes, you might be allergic to the almonds. Allergy can develop at any age, but it does not often occur at adult age. However, the probability may always be there.

What will a person experience in serious allergic reaction due to almonds?

The serious almond allergy can lead to:

• Rapid heartbeat
• Extremely low blood pressure
• Breathing difficulty and wheezing
• Lightheadedness
• Blockage of air flow to the lungs due to the closure of the larynx

There is a note on some products that they may contain traces of nuts. I am allergic to almonds, should I eat these products with the label of traces of nuts? Do they contain almonds as well?

These products may also contain almonds. Just be on the safer side and just avoid them.

Is there a difference between raw almonds and roasted almonds? I had an allergic reaction when eating raw almonds but two weeks prior, I had been snacking on roasted almonds without any issues.

The proteins in almonds cause an allergic reaction. A significant change occurs in almonds after roasting in protein digestibility and solubility of the proteins in our body. However, there is no research study available for the accurate difference.

There will be two possibilities:

• However, this is rare that a person has allergy with raw almonds and does not have allergy with roasted almonds. This may be in your case.
• The second case, you may not have allergy with almonds. Previously, when you had an allergic reaction to consumption of almonds, you need to check if you had taken another food with almonds to which might you had an allergic