allergic food vomiting

Vomiting after eating allergenic food is essentially an acute rejection protective reaction initiated by the immune system. There is no need to panic and forcefully stop vomiting, nor can it be treated as a normal gastrointestinal discomfort. The first treatment principle is to stop eating the suspected allergen as soon as possible, and then judge whether to observe at home or seek immediate medical treatment based on the accompanying symptoms. You must not take antiemetics on your own to suppress the vomiting reaction, otherwise it may cause the allergen to remain absorbed in the body and induce more serious allergic symptoms.

Last week when I was in the emergency department of the allergy department, I met a sophomore girl who bought a mango pancake with my roommate. She had never dared to eat mangoes before. She said she got a rash on the corner of her mouth after eating mangoes when she was a child. This time she thought it would be fine if she took a sip of the cream, but it turned out that the cream was mixed with chopped mango. Within ten minutes, she was squatting in front of the store. She vomited. Her roommate thought she had eaten spoiled food, so she took out the metoclopramide he brought with him to give her. Fortunately, she was stopped by a passing nurse. When she was sent to our department, except for her slightly swollen lips, all other symptoms had subsided. She was observed for half an hour and then left. If she had taken antiemetics, there might be something wrong.

Many people can't tell the difference between allergic vomiting and bad stomach vomiting. In fact, there is a big difference. Vomiting caused by bad food usually has an incubation period, which can be as little as one or two hours or as long as half a day. It will usually be followed by diarrhea and fever. ； However, the onset of vomiting caused by allergies is very fast, usually within half an hour of eating, and is often followed by symptoms such as numbness in the mouth, itchy skin, and wheals. To put it bluntly, your gastrointestinal mucosa comes into contact with the allergen first, and the immune system immediately sounds the alarm, directly causing the gastrointestinal tract to spasm and contract, in order to quickly expel the undigested allergen. To put it bluntly, it is actually the body protecting itself, and it is not a "weak gastrointestinal".

There are actually two different views in the industry on how to deal with vomiting caused by allergies. One group believes that as long as there are no respiratory symptoms or persistent abdominal pain after vomiting, there is no need to go to the hospital. Just rest at home and drink some warm salt water. After all, most food allergy vomiting is mild. After vomiting and eliminating allergens, it will be fine. I once met a child who was allergic to milk. He secretly drank a sip of his sister's yogurt and vomited within two minutes. After vomiting, he could still squat on the ground and play with building blocks. His face was not red and he was not out of breath. His parents were so scared that they had to send him to the hospital. After asking us, they observed him at home for an afternoon and found no problems.

The other school of thought is much more cautious. They believe that as long as vomiting is caused by food allergy, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible to evaluate the allergy grade. After all, vomiting is likely to be the precursor signal of a severe systemic allergic reaction. Many patients with anaphylactic shock will have vomiting and abdominal pain as their first symptoms. If they are sent to the hospital later when laryngeal edema and hypotension develop, it may be too late. Last year, we admitted a young man in the emergency department who was allergic to peanuts. He ate cookies containing crushed peanuts brought by his colleagues and vomited him twice. He thought he would be fine after vomiting, and he even sat at his work station to drink hot water. As a result, he was out of breath for half an hour. When his colleagues brought him over, he was already in shock, and it took two hours to rescue him.

I am actually allergic to peach hairs. I bought a peach in the summer, rinsed it twice and ate it. As soon as I took a bite, my tongue felt numb. I hurried to the toilet and vomited. After vomiting, the area around my mouth was red and itchy. I took a pill of loratadine myself and sat on the sofa to rest for two hours and it was fine. But I later specifically asked the director of our department, if I still feel chest tightness and throat tightness after vomiting, don’t hesitate to call 120 directly. Especially for people with a history of severe allergies, even if they only take a bite of the allergen, they must use the epinephrine pen prepared as soon as possible, and don’t wait until they vomit.

Oh, by the way, there is another pitfall that many people have stepped on: vomiting caused by allergies, do not take gastrointestinal drugs blindly, such as norfloxacin, omeprazole, and metoclopramide. These are either bactericidal or acid-suppressing and antiemetic. They are completely useless against allergies. Antiemetic drugs will leave allergens in the intestines and stomach, which may aggravate subsequent allergic reactions. If the vomiting is so severe that you can't even rehydrate, don't carry it yourself. Go to the hospital and ask the doctor to prescribe you some rehydration fluids, and take anti-allergy medicine at the same time. It is much more reliable than just taking medicine at home.

In fact, to put it bluntly, if you suddenly vomit after eating something, don’t panic. First, recall whether you have eaten food that you have never touched before, or if you are greedy for food that you know you are allergic to. First, find out whether it is caused by allergies. Don’t treat it as gastroenteritis. If you are really unsure, go to the hospital and call the emergency department or allergy department to check the allergens. It is better than forcing the problem, right?