Talking Allergies

My dd has been reacting to celery for a while now, she seems to react to the smell of it as well. She gets a very itchy head, and throat. She has oral allergy syndrome to other raw fruits and vegetables, but this one seems to be the worst.Anyone out there have the same allergy?

My former roommate is allergic to raw celery, carrots, and mangoes and other fruit with pits in them. He can eat them if they are thoroughly cooked though. He developed it in his late 20s and it has become progressively worse over the years (he's in his mid 30s now). I suspect it's OAS as well, but we haven't discussed it recently.

Our family doesn't have a celery allergy, but a good friend of mine is anaphylactic to celery - and it developed when she was older (around 18 years).

It's one of the top allergens in Europe, I believe. Someone at the CFIA explained to me that it's because they eat a lot of celeriac (celery root) there and are thus exposed to celery more.

See these sites for more info:
- http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance/foodintolerancetypes/celeryallergy/
- http://www.food-allergens.de/symposium-2-3/celery/celery-abstract.html (a bit more scientific)
- http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/tipcon/orale.shtml - Oral Allergy Syndrome page with important info about how celery and nuts can still cause problems after they are cooked (some people with OAS can tolerate the foods that bother them if they are cooked)

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

When I took my dd in to the allergist, they never checked for vegetables, even though I told them about her reactions, they said just to make sure that they are well cooked. He also said that it would never become anaphylactic. Now in the stuff that I am reading about celery, it says that you can have anaphylaxis to it! She seems to be reacting to the smell, how do I know if it is just a minor thing??? She instantly got extremely itchy all over her head and complained of her throat hurting, I gave her Benadryl right away, but now I am worried it is going to get worse.the nest time. I already worry about my ds and his peanut allergies! This is just so STRESSFUL!!!!!!!

That's one severe celery allergy!

I'm allergic to celery too. It is one of the few vegetables that bother my throat when cooked. I just began to have difficulty with cooked celery in the past year....but maybe that has something to do with the fact that I was eating a lot of celery stir-fried in olive oil. I still do eat celery from time to time.....I wouldn't want to eat it raw, but when cooked I don't react severely.

Other foods that I react to when cooked: carrots (But I don't react to cooked carrots all the time---I find that if the carrots are around in the fridge too long that I react to them slightly. For some reason, I'm more likely to react to cooked baby carrots.)

Potatoes--I've cut potatoes out of my diet completely. Even potato starch, potato chips were bothering me.

spinach---I've always reacted on and off to cooked spinach. I haven't tried it for a long time, but I've discovered other greens like kale and chard so I don't really need it.

I wonder a bit about tomatoes, but I eat them (cooked) anyways.

Thanks for the links, Karen. All this reminded me that I had intended to mention the celery problem to my allergist today....along with a lot of other questions. But we packed quite a lot into this appointment, and so I don't think there would have been time anyways.
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kerriku, about your experience with the allergist----ummm...no idea why he/she would say her reaction would never be anaphylactic...unless maybe your daughter's pollen allergies are not so severe? Even so, pollen allergies change in severity over time. I've read that some people with oral allergy syndrome are advised to carry an epipen.

But I'm not surprised that he/she didn't test for vegetables-----I've read that the proteins in the prepared solutions aren't as stable and that the tests for veggies aren't that reliable. I think that testing with the fresh vegetable would be a better test.

My allergist didn't feel it was necessary to test me for fresh fruits and vegetables---when I asked him about oral allergy syndrome, he simply said: "you *have* oral allergy syndrome." My symptoms were clear-cut, and the pollen allergies are out of control so in my case the test would have been a waste of time.

In the Feb/Mar 2006 newsletter issued by FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network - U.S.), an article entitled "EU (European Union) Strengthens Allergen Labeling" indicates the following 12 designated allergens must appear on labels beginning Nov 2005:

peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, crustaceans, fish, sesame seeds, gluten, soy, celery, mustard, sulfur dioxide and sulfites.

I believe an allergy to celery has to be an allergen of real concern if it is now included in the European Union allergen labeling. I think the requirement to include it in labeling would point to the potential for anaphylaxis.

In the past several years I've noticed an itchy throat upon eating raw celery. I've grown up with severe hayfever and mold allergies, but never to food. In my thirties I developed allergies to pistacchio nuts and mangoes, but the celergy allergy was the latest. I was not told how severe this allergy could be but avoided eating it as best I could. In December I had a bite of what I thought was a pasta salad (candle lit party--hard to see) and immediately had itchy palms and throat and no EpiPen on me (never again)! Within one half hour I was at the emergency room with my tongue so huge that it couldn't fit in my mouth! It took a good month for my body to bounce back from that reaction, and I later found out that what I thought was pasta were in fact strips of celery root! For those of you with celergy allergies, please know how severe your reaction can be. Carry your EpiPen !

I am an occasional teacher and I have worked with a student with a severe celery allergy that wears an epi-pen. It was the first case of severe celery allergy that I have come across in the Board I work for yet until your post came along.

I am concerned that my DS may have a celery allergy. On Easter after eating some cream cheese with mirepoix mixed in he developed a rash around his mouth, and tonight his lip swelled a bit after eating raw celery filled with cream cheese.

I could be wrong (there were other things at Easter, although I think I'd rather it be celery than the chickpeas for the hummus he ate).

For those allergic to celery, are there other things you have to watch out for? Are there code words for celery like there are for other things (peanut)?

I've read that celery is cross reactive to birch, but I don't know if he's allergic to birch. I've also read that birch is also cross reactive to apples. We're not having issues with apples, knock on wood.

I'm allergic to birch and allergic to celery. I definitely would not eat raw celery ever again (major throat/mouth tingling/itchiness), but I sometimes do have cooked celery in moderation. If I eat too much cooked celery at one time (I've tried stir-frying celery) I sometimes react, but if I just have a stalk or so mixed in with other vegetables, I'm usually fine.

If you are allergic to celery, I've heard that you should avoid celeriac (celery root). Can't help you on the question about hidden celery in manufactured foods because I don't eat anything with a list of ingredients (if there's a list, I'll be allergic to something.)

See http://www.answers.com/topic/celery , which says this:

"Allergies from celery and celeriac
Although many people enjoy foods made with celery, a small minority of people can have severe allergic reactions. For people with celery allergy, exposure can cause potentially fatal anaphylactic shock[1]. The allergen does not appear to be destroyed at cooking temperatures. Celery root - commonly eaten as Celeriac, or put into drinks - is known to contain more allergen than the stalk. Celery is amongst a small group of foods (headed by peanuts) that appear to provoke the most severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). An allergic reaction also may be triggered by eating foods that have been processed with machines that have previously processed celery, making avoiding such foods difficult. In contrast with peanut allergy being most prevalent in the US, celery allergy is most prevalent in Central Europe[2]."

Also, I wonder if celery seed would be something you would have to be careful about? That could potentially mean anything with the word "seasonings" or "spices" in it... Obviously there's more to a celery allergy than first comes to mind -- as is the case with most food allergies!

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma