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The Symptoms of Flour Allergy

Have you experienced feeling different after eating bread or pastries? Or have you noticed that your body reacts when you eat pasta? If you answered yes to both questions, then you should acknowledge the idea that you may probably be allergic to flour.

Flour allergy is defined as the immune system’s reaction against grains comprising it. Originally, flour was only derived from wheat but now, wheat substitutes like peanut, soy, and rice have been discovered. Proteins from grain of any of these products can cause allergy.

Now, the question is how can you tell if you have flour allergy? Here is a list of the common symptoms which may indicate that your body reacts to flour.

• Your skin feels itchy and you see red spots or marks on your body. This may indicate that you have skin rashes as a form of reaction. It may either be mild or severe in form.
• Hives are described as having repeated appearance of irregular, round skin lesions in the skin. These are accompanied by itching and inflammation. Hives are the most identifiable symptom of allergic reaction.
• Eczema, an inflammation of the skin, is characterized by patches in the skin that are extremely red, dry, and itchy. Usually, the rashes appear after you scratch the itchy areas of your skin. Eczema is a severe form of rashes caused by allergies.
• Itching is not exclusively for your skin only. If you have itchy eyes, nose, or roof of the mouth every time you eat products with wheat, you should consult your doctor.
• You experience runny nose. Allergic reactions cause the inside of the nose to swell, this results to more amount of mucus being produced and finally causing a nasal drip.
• Minutes after eating even a small amount of food with wheat then you suddenly have an upset stomach, this may be another indication. In fact, upset stomach is the most common form of allergic reaction. You may have nausea and it can be accompanied by vomiting or diarrhea.
• You have trouble breathing. It may be in a form of slight wheezing or in asthma.
• Slight wheezing is described as breathing with difficulty and audible sound.
• Asthma, the more severe form, is caused by blockage in the passageways of air into and out of the lungs. Wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath are signs that you are having an asthma attack.
• Anaphylaxis is the most severe symptom of allergy which can be fatal. A considerable decrease in blood pressure, difficulty in breathing, and swelling denote an anaphylactic shock.  If you experience this, you must immediately visit a doctor.

These symptoms may appear minutes after ingesting or inhaling products with flour. It is important to know exactly what type of flour you are allergic to. As mentioned a while ago, there are different types of flour depending on what they were derived from. Wheat flour is the most common type, and also has the most number of people allergic to it. If you discover that you are indeed allergic to wheat flour, you can look for flours not derived from wheat. However, if you still experience any of the mentioned symptoms when trying different types of flour then you must report this to your doctor.

In order to prevent you from suffering from the symptoms mentioned, the best way you can do is to avoid food with flour. If you know exactly what type of flour you are allergic then it is better because you can go for other types.  Now if you are already having the symptoms, have anti-allergy medications to stop the symptoms. If, however, you are having a severe allergic reaction, run to the nearest doctor.