Fruit Making Your Mouth Itch? Could be Oral Allergy Syndrome
I was just chatting with a friend who said that the weirdest thing just happened. She was eating cherries and her lips started to tingle.
She's worried that she is allergic to cherries now.
I told her that it could be Oral Allergy Syndrome.
She said, " what allergy what?"
Oral Allergy Syndrome (also known as Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome) is when you are not only allergic to pollen from trees, weeds and grass - but also fruits and veggies that have a similar pollen.
Still confused?
Common pollen/fruit associations:
Allergic to birch pollen?
You could be allergic to: apple, almond, carrot, celery, cherry, hazelnut, kiwi, peach, pear, plum
Allergic to Grass pollen?
You could be allergic to: celery, melons, oranges, peaches, tomato
Allergic to ragweed?
You could be allergic to: banana, cucumber, melons, sunflower seeds, zucchini
Allergy & Asthma Network lists other things you can be allergic to.
Well, who knew, right?!
And did you know that you can have problems when you eat the fruit or veggies when they are fresh, but not when they are cooked?
So my friend can't eat fresh cherries anymore, but she could eat them cooked in a pie. Or someone might have a problem with fresh tomatoes, but not to tomato sauce on a pizza.
Symptoms of Oral Allergy Syndrome
These vary, but can include:
- itchy mouth
- swelling of the throat, tongue, lips or mouth
- hives in the mouth
- itchy ears
Symptoms are usually confined to the mouth, but rarely, someone can have a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis.)
As usual, talk to your doc if you are having problems.
Just chalk it up to More Fun with Allergies! :(
First, thank you so much for your posts. My son just started experiencing this a few months ago! I googled the symptoms, discovered this exact diagnosis, and brought it up at his allergist appt check up. Yes, this is crazy that suddenly there are all these fruits and veggies that he cannot eat. He is 10 and so upset about it. If anyone has any suggestions, other than allergy shots, I would love to hear them! There are so many foods he cannot eat: canteloupe, honeydew, cherries, apples, tomatoes and more - I can't even keep track of them all. He just reminds me what he cannot eat. We do not want to do allergy shots, despite the fact that he is allergic to just about everything they test for except dogs. He already has a growth hormone issue and has to receive a shot daily. If ever decides he wants to do allergy shots, then he can begin those after he stops the other shots in about 4-5 yrs. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
ReplyDeleteHey there Angela, I'm so glad I could help you and sorry for the delayed reply. My office is helping on COVID.
ReplyDeleteNot only is Oral Allergy Syndrome bizarre, but it causes more problems during pollen season. So, if your son can't each cantaloupe now, he MAY be able to eat it in February (of course it would be hard to find then!)
Here's information from Allergy and Asthma Network, they are a great resource:
"Onset of symptoms may seem random. Some people are only bothered during pollen season, but the rest of the year they can eat pollen-related foods with no problem. OAS symptoms usually occur to only fresh fruits and vegetables, not to the cooked form of these vegetables."
"So, if you’re allergic to ragweed, a melon in February (when ragweed is dormant) may not bother you at all, while one in September (when ragweed pollen counts are high) could set off symptoms with the first bite."
"Some people with OAS will react to fresh foods but not cooked or canned varieties. If you have grass allergy, for instance, you may be able to eat tomato sauce on pizza but develop itchy mouth from fresh tomato in a salad. Others may find they can eat certain varieties of a fruit (Macintosh apples versus Granny Smith, for instance) or fruits without their skins."
https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/health-a-z/oral-allergy-syndrome/
I hear you about allergy shots! My 3 kids all had allergy shots, so we were at Asthma Doc's office at least once a week for 10 years (they were all on a different cycle for shots......sigh)
However, I saw a story that a medication had been approved for Oral Allergy Syndrome. I think it was Xolair, but I can't find the story online. Xolair has been around for 20 years, and is given by injection once or twice a month for severe asthma. My son had Xolair injections for 7 years - it was the only thing that kept him out of the hospital.
But - Xolair received "Breakthrough" status from the FDA in 2018 to be developed and tested for use with food allergies.
Ask your doctor if he knows anything about that. I can't find a press release about final approval.
I am wondering if Xolair was the drug in the news story that was approved for Oral Allergy Syndrome? Or maybe it was also given breakthrough status?
I'm sorry your son is having a tough time. We didn't exactly hit the genetic lottery and have a host of other medical conditions too.
Good luck with your son! :)
Andrea