[Neglected allergens].

Abstract

The atopic symptoms manifest themselves mainly in hay fever or bronchial asthma. In a not inconsiderable number of cases, the question of oral complaints, connected with the intake of certain foodstuffs, is ignored in the medical anamnesis. Here, we are dealing with what is known as food-associated allergy syndrome, which is largely based on a cross reaction between certain types of pollen (birch, alder, hazel and mugwort) and food allergens (drupes, pomes, nuts, vegetables such as celery, carrots and fennel, etc.). Whereas following the intake of fruit the complaints are usually restricted solely to the oral cavity and the throat (aphthas, stomatitis, swelling of the lips and/or tongue, irritation of the hard palate, hoarseness and compulsive clearing of the throat), nuts and celery among others from the family Compositae often cause acute, allergic attacks with sometimes serious general symptoms such as laryngeal oedema, bronchial asthma, urticaria and even anaphylactic shock. In the sensitization against animal allergens, it must not be forgotten that the most powerful immunogens are to be found, for example, in the urine of small rodents (mice and rats). In the manufacture or application of fish food with red gnat larvae, people who are disposed to this will often react with an attack of bronchial asthma.