Article Category: Ask An Allergist

What is epinephrine and why is it used for Anaphylaxis reactions?

Epinephrine is the best drug for anaphylaxis. Your body has receptors where epinephrine can “stick”, like a key in a lock, and those receptors then trigger the effects of epinephrine, which include: making your heart beat faster and stronger, increasing your blood pressure, decreasing swelling (for example, in your throat which may occur during anaphylaxis), ..more

What is Anaphylaxis?

Anaphylaxis is a potentially life threatening form of an allergic reaction and must be treated as a medical emergency.  It can involve various body systems, including the respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts, the skin and the cardiovascular systems.  The symptoms may come on within seconds, minutes or a couple of hours after exposure to a specific ..more

Will the next reaction produce the same symptoms?

Unfortunately, there is no way to predict the severity of future reactions.  Any subsequent reaction could be the same, better or worse.  In fact, about 20% of children with mild facial rashes to peanut can have life-threatening reactions the next time they ingest peanuts.  For this reason, strict avoidance of the food someone is allergic ..more

Can a person who is allergic to eggs eat chicken?

A very few individuals with an egg allergy can be allergic to chicken. This is most uncommon, so the vast majority of egg allergic individuals may eat chicken.
Response provided by Dr. D. Hummel, MBChB FRCPC

Is the allergy still present if eggs are cooked vs. raw?

There are several proteins in egg that are responsible for egg allergy. Some of these are sensitive to heat and are broken down (denatured) by heating, whilst some proteins are unaffected by heat. If someone is allergic to the heat sensitive protein they might react to uncooked egg, yet tolerate egg baked in the form ..more

If a parent is allergic to eggs, will a child also be allergic?

No. There is no direct correlation between allergy to eggs in parents and children.
Response provided by Dr. D. Hummel, MBChB FRCPC

Is a person allergic to the egg whites or the yolk?

Can they eat one if they are allergic to the other?  Most people are allergic to egg white, but there are some individuals that are allergic to egg yolk. It is very difficult to separate the two components, so most allergists recommend avoidance of both
Response by: Dr. D. Hummel MBChB FRCPC

Do eggs need to be removed from the home if there is an egg allergy?

Generally we don’t recommend removal from the home, except in very rare exceptional cases where the individual has had a severe life-threatening reaction to egg.
Response by: Dr. D. Hummel MBChB FRCPC

How likely is it to outgrow an egg allergy vs. nut allergy?

There is an 80% likelihood of outgrowing egg allergy by 5 years vs. a 20% chance of outgrowing peanut allergy
Response provided by Dr. D. Hummel, MBChB FRCPC

Should egg allergic people avoid the MMR vaccine?

No egg allergic individuals can get the MMR vaccine. They should avoid the Influenze vaccine or Yellow Fever vaccine.
Response provided by Dr. D. Hummel, MBChB FRCPC