Cross allergy table. Cross allergy: why you can’t eat apples when the birch tree is blooming. Prevention of allergic reactions
An allergy sufferer often knows which irritant causes abnormal reactions in his body. At the same time, he may unexpectedly develop an allergy to other substances, which at the molecular level turn out to be “doubles” of the main allergen. Let's get acquainted with the concept of “cross allergy”; a table with possible types of allergens will help with this.
What is cross allergy?
Due to contact with substances that are similar in chemical structure to the allergen that causes characteristic symptoms in a person, a so-called cross-allergy may occur. The mechanism for the appearance of an inadequate immune response is due to the fact that these substances contain similar sets of amino acids, to which the body can respond by producing certain protective antibodies. It is important to be able to predict what a cross-reaction may occur to (every allergy sufferer should have a table indicating potentially dangerous substances).
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Cross allergies in tables
The research carried out led to the creation of a table in which cross-allergy to additional irritants is determined by the main identified allergenic substance. The cause of cross-allergy is not in all cases related to the common origin of the irritants. Crossovers are observed between various plant families: cereals and cruciferous plants, birch and asteraceae, birch and umbelliferae, etc.
Cross-allergy to birch is common - to the pollen of this tree, which blooms around April-May. If an allergy to birch is detected, cross-products that are dangerous for humans in terms of allergenicity are carrots, potatoes, apples, plums, kiwi, celery, etc. That when inhaling the pollen of this tree, or when eating the listed fruits, an allergy may occur .
Cross pollen allergy
The table below shows plants to whose pollen particles hypersensitivity often occurs, and, on the contrary, flowering plants and plant fruits that have a similar combination of amino acids as this allergen. Not all existing ones are listed here, but only the most common provocateurs of hay fever.
Pollen allergens | Cross pollen allergens | Cross food allergens |
Birch | Alder, chestnut, apple, pear, plum, cereals, wormwood, rapeseed, olive, ash, oak, cherry, peach, apricot | Apples, pears, cherries, cherries, hazelnuts, carrots, potatoes, soybeans, banana, orange, tomato, anise, red pepper, coriander, celery, kiwi |
Cereals | Birch, wormwood, olive, sunflower, rapeseed | Sorrel, tomato, celery, rice, kiwi, melon, stone fruits, pome fruits, bread |
Ambrosia | Wormwood, chamomile, sunflower, dandelion | Sunflower seeds, melon, cucumber, celery, bananas |
Sagebrush | Cereals, birch, ragweed, string, dandelion, calendula, chamomile, dahlia, daisy, olive, elecampane, sunflower, cereals | Sunflower seeds, honey, parsley, carrots, fennel, stone fruits, pome seeds, peanuts, hazel, anise, coriander, red pepper, peas, dill, tomato, chicory, citruses |
Sunflower | Ambrosia, wormwood, cereals, dandelion, chamomile, olive | Sunflower seeds and oil, mustard, mayonnaise |
Quinoa | - | Beetroot, spinach |
Lilac | Olive, ash | - |
Poplar | Willow | - |
Rape | Cereals, birch | - |
Ash | Lilac, olive, birch | - |
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Cross food allergies
In many cases, it is revealed that, for example, it is associated with increased sensitization of the body to beef, veal and some other protein foods. This happens if you are allergic to chicken protein. Cross food allergies are possible between different types of food and other types of allergens; the table contains the main possible combinations.
Food product | Cross-reactive foods and non-food allergens |
Seafood, caviar, fish food |
|
Egg | Chicken, quail eggs and meat, duck, mayonnaise, chicken feathers, some medicines containing protein components |
Cow's milk | Dairy products, goat milk, beef, veal, meat products from them, enzyme medications from the pancreas of cattle |
Kefir yeast | Yeast dough, kvass, mushrooms, mold cheeses, mold fungi, penicillin antibiotics |
Celery, parsley, vitamin A |
|
Potato | Tomatoes, paprika, eggplants, capsicums, tobacco |
Other varieties of nuts, sesame, poppy, birch pollen, kiwi, rice, buckwheat, oatmeal |
|
Strawberry | Any red berries, persimmons |
Nightshades, soybeans, green peas, stone fruits, latex |
|
Melon, wheat gluten, avocado, kiwi, latex |
Cross-allergy to antibiotics
Many drugs with a similar structure exhibit cross-reactions, and it occupies one of the leading places. Cross-allergy table for common antibiotic drugs is presented below. With its help, you can understand which medications will need to be avoided along with the main allergen.
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The cross form of allergy manifests itself in the form of a negative reaction not only to a certain product, type of pollen or drug, but also to its “double”. Sometimes an acute response of the body is provoked by a group of foods, medicines or plants that contain similar substances.
Patients suffering from increased sensitization of the body should know how types of irritants are combined. It is important to understand how cross-allergy occurs. The table of identified combinations will help you avoid contact with substances that give the same negative reactions as the main irritant.
What is cross allergy
A negative response to various types of food, drugs, or plants is based on a similar set of amino acids in stimuli of different groups. The complex of pathogenic proteins that accumulate in certain types of allergens consists of active names and additional ones (in food elements).
Researchers have identified 14 types of proteins dangerous to humans. In case of cross-allergy, amino acids of the second, third, fifth and tenth groups show the greatest activity. Potential allergens are contained in foods and plants of various groups, sometimes not related to each other. That is why, if you are intolerant to peanuts, negative reactions are possible when consuming stone fruits, bananas, and soy.
Characteristic signs and symptoms
The signs of a cross allergic reaction are the same as with other types of negative response to irritants. Symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. Depending on the type of allergen, skin signs, problems with the organs of vision and breathing appear, and general health often worsens.
In most patients, the first symptoms of cross-allergy appear between 6 and 15 years of age. The risk of developing negative signs increases with poor ecology, non-compliance with the principles of proper nutrition, careless attitude towards home hygiene and personal care.
The main symptoms of allergic reactions:
- skin itching, discomfort, burning;
- red spots on the skin - from small to large, the formations are located singly or merge into islands. In severe form, the spots cover a large area on various parts of the body;
- small rash of pinkish-red, whitish, red-orange or faint pink color;
- burning, peeling of irritated areas, crusts, unpleasant shine. In severe cases - weeping, secondary infection occurs, inflammation and fungal skin lesions develop;
- blisters (red or white, with a purple border);
- swelling or pronounced swelling of tissues. When the face, lips, and genitals become severely swollen, the lumen of the larynx narrows, the tongue swells, the mucous membranes of the mouth and internal organs swell;
- lacrimation appears, the conjunctiva and eyelids become red and itchy;
- Rhinorrhea develops, clear, thin mucus flows from the nose, the discharge has no odor or color. The nose is swollen, it is difficult to breathe, the patient often sneezes;
- there is a sore throat, shortness of breath, attacks of suffocation, barking, and practically no mucus coming out.
On a note! When exposed to several allergens, negative reactions appear faster than when exposed to one type of irritant. Often, with birch pollen intolerance, the patient does not suspect that he is allergic to nuts, which the person practically does not consume. But after eating a portion of peanuts, the same reactions develop as during the flowering of a birch tree. The table data suggests that nuts are an additional irritant in case of an allergy to the pollen of the “blond beauty”.
Cross allergen tables
Based on the research results, scientists have compiled several tables, by looking at which allergy patients can easily determine which foods, medications, and plants are potentially dangerous for them. Each block indicates the main irritant and names, upon contact with which a negative response of the body is possible.
Table No. 1. Pollen and possible cross-reactions
Type of main stimulus | Group No. 1 (pollen) | Group No. 2 (products of plant origin) | Group No. 3 (medicinal plants) |
Cereal pollen | Barley, wheat, sorrel, oats | Various types of cereals | |
Artemisia pollen | Dandelion, sunflower, chamomile and dahlia | All types of citrus fruits, sunflower oil and halva, chicory, honey and bee products | Chamomile flowers, calendula, coltsfoot, succession grass, elecampane, all parts of wormwood |
Birch pollen | Alder, hazel | Stone fruits, birch sap, kiwi, carrots, nuts, potatoes | Alder cones, buds or birch leaves |
Ambrosia pollen | Dandelion and sunflower | Bananas, sunflower seeds and products made from them: halva, refined and unrefined oil |
Table No. 2. Food
Main allergen | Possible negative reactions for the following titles |
River and sea fish | All types of seafood, dry fish food |
Peanut | Stone fruits, green peas, soy protein, tomatoes, bananas |
Tangerines | Other types of citrus fruits |
Kiwi | Oatmeal or rice flour, avocado cereals, bananas, various types of nuts, buckwheat |
Potato | Plants of the nightshade family: eggplants, all types of lettuce peppers, tomatoes, paprika, tobacco |
Strawberry | Blackberries, red and black currants, raspberries, strawberries, lingonberries |
Whole cow's milk | Allergies are provoked by veal, fatty and lean beef, products containing protein from cow's or nutritious goat's milk, and enzyme medicines, in the production of which substances from the pancreas of cattle were used. Negative reactions are possible while on a farm after an allergic person has touched the fur of a bull, cow or calf. |
Carrot | Foods containing beta-carotene, parsley and celery |
Plums | Prunes, apricots, nectarines and peaches, almond kernels, apples of various varieties, especially red ones, cherries and cherries |
Kefir yeast or kefir | Mushrooms of all kinds, penicillins, molds, yeast-based dough, blue cheese, natural kvass |
Table No. 3. Medicines
Names of allergen drugs | Drugs that cross-react to the main irritant |
Macrolide group | Clarithromycin, Azithromycin, Erythromycin |
Penicillin group | Monobactams, cephalosporins, penicillins of semi-synthetic and natural origin |
Acetylsalicylic acid | Medicines of the NSAID group, complex preparations with NSAID components: Baralgin, Pentalgin |
Iodine | Components for conducting studies of internal organs (X-ray contrast agents), L-thyroxine, Lugol, iodine-containing compounds, Iodinol, Iodomarin |
Sulfonamides | Novocaine, thiazide diuretics, various drugs of the sulfonamide group: Etazol, Sulfadimethoxine, Biseptol. Phenothiazine drugs: Pilpofen, Diazepam |
Tetracyclines | All tetracycline antibacterial drugs: Doxycycline, Metacycline, Tetracycline |
General rules and methods of treatment
Therapy is carried out according to the standard scheme:
- identification of the allergen and its “doubles” using molecular research;
- excluding or limiting contact with hazardous elements;
- taking new generation antihistamines. The drugs received positive reviews;
- cleansing the body - taking sorbents. Polysorb, Smecta, Enterosgel, activated carbon, herbal infusions (nettle, chamomile, burdock root, oak bark);
- . It is mandatory to refuse not only products that have been identified as allergens based on test results, but also other potentially dangerous items. Nuts, honey, chocolate, full-fat cow's milk, soy, seafood, and citrus fruits often cause acute reactions.
Specific therapy to reduce the body's sensitization to many irritants is not carried out. The method is effective for rhinitis of allergic origin, intolerance to pollen, bronchial asthma, severe reactions to stings of wasps, bees, and hornets. In case of polyallergies, doctors do not prescribe the administration of small doses of irritants.
How and with what to treat a baby? Find out effective treatment options.
For a list of approved allergy pills during pregnancy, see the page.
When identifying a cross form, it is important to consider protection from exposure to irritants. Tables of common combinations will help you understand which foods to avoid and which plants to stay away from.
You need to know what you can’t plant in your summer cottage and what dangerous weeds you should destroy without delay. The list of medications and their “doubles”, which often cause a negative response from the body, is useful for patients of any age: everyone encounters antibiotics at least once in their life.
Additional protection measures:
If you identify a cross allergy, do not despair: modern antihistamines minimize the risk of severe manifestations. Tables of allergens and their “doubles” will help you create a menu and carry out herbal treatment. It is important to know which plant pollen can cause negative reactions, and which weeds to destroy before others. Every person with hypersensitivity should have a list of allergens and additional irritants. Cross allergy code according to ICD 10 - J30, L23, T78.1 and others: the concept includes many negative reactions to various types of irritants.
Video - expert advice on the symptoms and treatment of cross allergies:
This type of allergy is difficult to diagnose. Therefore, persons suffering from a certain type of allergy should know which types of allergens can cause cross-reactions.
The most dangerous form of allergic reaction is anaphylactic shock. This condition is accompanied by disruption of normal blood circulation, functions of the nervous and respiratory systems, and requires emergency care.
Properties of allergens
For example, in persons with a mycogenic allergy to mold fungi, cross-allergy with penicillin group drugs and food products (yeast dough, Roquefort cheese, kefir, kvass) is very likely. The initiators of this type of allergy can be various types of allergens.
- Food allergens.
- Drug allergens.
- Fungal allergens.
- Level of eosinophils in the blood.
70% of all hay fever is a cross allergy to birch. Second place goes to wormwood allergy. Antigens from pollen and leaves of these plants have powerful allergenic properties. They cause the most cross-reactions with common foods such as potatoes, carrots and onions, apples, pears, cherries, plums, peaches and apricots.
Birch | Apple tree, alder, hazel | ||
Cereals | |||
Sagebrush | |||
Ambrosia, quinoa | Sunflower, dandelion |
However, statistics show that in 90% of cases hypersensitivity develops only to 8 food allergens - chicken eggs, peanuts, cow's milk, soybeans, hazelnuts, crustaceans, fish and wheat (gluten protein).
- with hay fever more than 50%;
Cow's milk | ||
Chicken egg | ||
Kefir | Penicillins | |
Fish | Fish fat | |
Strawberry | ||
Carrot | Celery, parsley, wormwood | β-carotene, vitamin A |
Potato | ||
Hazelnuts | Nut oils | |
Peanut | ||
Citrus | ||
Bananas | ||
Mustard | ||
Kiwi | ||
Beet | ||
Legumes |
The allergenic properties of products decrease after heat treatment.
It is important to remember that people with drug allergies have a lifelong withdrawal from this medication. A note about such medications should be on the cover of the medical card!
Treatment of cross-reaction
Treatment is based on:
Persons suffering from cross-hypersensitivity are recommended to have an “allergy patient passport”, which should indicate the diagnosis and prescription of the allergist. Patients susceptible to anaphylactic shock should have epinephrine in their personal emergency kit.
Groups of pathogenetic proteins.
The mechanism of development of cross-allergy.
Clinical symptoms of cross-allergy.
Diagnosis of cross allergies.
Cross allergen table.
Literature.
Cross allergy – an allergic reaction that occurs as a result of increased sensitivity to allergens that are similar in structure. An example of the most unusual cross-allergy is an allergy to peanuts and latex, since they contain an almost identical set of amino acids.
Groups of pathogenetic proteins
The study of the mechanisms of cross-allergy has become possible only in the last few decades thanks to the development of molecular biology. Conventionally, 14 groups of pathogenetic proteins that are allergens have been identified. Only a few groups participate in the formation of cross-allergy: 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 14:
Table 1 Groups of pathogenetic proteins.
Group |
Compound |
Products |
Second group |
Hydrolytic enzymes that are produced by plants to protect against fungi. |
|
Third group |
Chitinases that destroy chitin also destroy fungal cell walls. |
|
Fourth group |
||
Fifth group |
Proteins with antifungal activity. |
|
Tenth group |
The main protein of birch pollen. |
|
Fourteenth group |
Proteins with antimicrobial activity. |
|
Mechanism of development of cross-allergy
There are three main mechanisms for the development of cross-allergy:
Allergens are completely identical in composition, both food and respiratory.
Allergenic identity, when food or inhaled air contains an identical allergen.
Epitopes of different origin, but common to food and air.
According to statistics, people with atopic dermatitis develop cross food allergies in 48% of cases, with hay fever this figure is 45%, with allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma – 15%.
Clinical symptoms of cross-allergy
Most often, when a cross-allergy develops, a reaction develops in the same organ or system that came into contact with the allergen, but a completely separate reaction may also occur that is not externally related to exposure to the allergen!
The clinical manifestations of cross-allergy are no different from the symptoms of ordinary respiratory, contact or food allergies. This is the danger of the disease and the difficulty of diagnosing it: a person may not know what exactly he has developed an allergic reaction to.
Bloating;
Stool disorders;
Hives
Quincke's edema;
Dermatitis;
Allergic rhinitis;
Allergic conjunctivitis
Bronchial asthma
Anaphylactic shock;
Stomach ache;
The intensity of symptoms will depend on several factors: the amount of allergen ingested and how actively the immune system perceives it.
Diagnosis of cross allergies
Family and individual allergy history.
Skin tests and intradermal tests are carried out only outside the period of exacerbation.
Laboratory testing - material is taken from the secretions of the nose, bronchi, and eyes. In the presence of food allergies, up to 90% of eosinophils are found in the secretion; in case of allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, 2% of eosinophils are found in nasal secretions, and up to 10% in sputum.
Provocative tests - they can only be carried out in a specially equipped allergy room in a hospital or outpatient setting. The most common is the oral test.
Immunological testing:
RAST – radioallergosorbent;
ELISA – enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay;
CAP-system test.
MAST-CLA-system test….
Cross allergen table
Cross-allergy is very dangerous, given that a person may not even expect the development of allergic reactions to a particular food product, respiratory, epidermal, medicinal or household allergen. Especially for this purpose, tables of cross allergens were compiled, in which people can find all those substances with which contact with them is contraindicated if they have one or another type of allergy.
Cross-allergy due to food reactivity.
Cross-reaction of plant pollen.
Cross-reactivity with cereals.
Cross-reaction to drugs.
Cross allergy to mites.
Cross allergy to latex.
Table 2. Cross-allergy due to food reactivity.
Allergenic products |
Pollen |
Food |
Ticks |
Other |
Cow's milk |
Milk of other animals, beef |
|||
River fish, trout, chicken meat if the chickens were fed fishmeal. |
||||
Chicken eggs |
Other eggs, chicken. |
Bird feathers. |
||
Sour sorrel, rhubarb. |
||||
Birch, herbs, cereals, wormwood. |
Potatoes, eggplants, physalis, pome fruits, celery, peanuts. |
|||
Herbs, cereals, ambrosia. |
Pumpkin, cucumbers, zucchini, banana, raw carrots, celery. |
|||
Birch, wormwood. |
Pistachios, cashews, raw carrots, celery. |
|||
Horseradish, cabbage, radishes. |
||||
Peas, soybeans, beans, lentils, stone fruits, tomatoes. |
||||
Cranberries, blueberries, lingonberries. |
||||
Pome fruits (apple, pear...) |
Stone fruits, celery, raw potatoes. |
|||
Stone fruits (peach, plum...) |
Birch, herbs, cereals, wormwood. |
Pome fruits, peanuts. |
||
Kiwi, melon, avocado. |
||||
Birch, herbs, cereals, wormwood. |
Banana, avocado, hazelnut, various flours, sesame, poppy seeds. |
|||
Orange |
Citrus. |
|||
Banana, kiwi. |
||||
Melon, raw carrots, celery. |
||||
Raw carrots |
Birch, wormwood. |
Mango, melon, cucumber, celery. |
||
Raw potatoes |
Pomaceae. |
|||
Celery |
Birch, herbs, cereals, wormwood, ambrosia. |
Pome fruits, mango, melon, cucumber, raw carrots, curry, red pepper, pepper, cumin, coriander. |
||
Herbs, cereals. |
||||
Birch, wormwood. |
||||
Birch, wormwood. |
Celery. |
|||
Red pepper |
Birch, wormwood. |
Celery. |
||
Birch, wormwood. |
Celery. |
|||
Birch, wormwood. |
Celery. |
|||
Coriander |
Birch, wormwood. |
Celery. |
||
Hazelnut |
Wormwood, birch, hazel. |
Kiwi, flour, sesame, poppy. |
||
Sweet chestnut |
||||
Any flour |
Herbs, cereals. |
Kiwi, nut, rice, sesame, poppy. |
||
Herbs, cereals. |
||||
Kiwi, nut, flour. |
||||
Kiwi, nut, flour. |
||||
Crustaceans |
Warehouse tongs. |
|||
Cat, epithelium. |
||||
Plasma substitutes. |
Table 3. Cross-reaction of plant pollen.
Allergenic products |
Pollen |
Food |
Ticks |
Other |
Hazel, alder, chestnut, apple, plum, apricot, peach, pear, cherry, hazel, ash, oak, olive, rapeseed, herbs, cereals, wormwood. |
Apples, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, kiwi, carrots, celery, potatoes, hazelnuts, banana, mango, orange, raw carrots, raw potatoes, celery, soybeans, tomatoes, anise, curry, red pepper, pepper, cumin, coriander, hazelnut. |
|||
Birch, alder, hazel. |
||||
Birch, beech, hazel. |
||||
Birch, lilac, olive. |
||||
Ash, olive. |
||||
Birch, beech, alder. |
Hazelnut. |
|||
Birch, ash, lilac, herbs, cereals, wormwood, sunflower. |
||||
Birch, herbs, cereals. |
||||
Herbs/cereals |
Birch, olive, rapeseed, wormwood, sunflower. |
Pome fruits, stone fruits, sorrel, tomato, melon, kiwi, celery, rice. |
||
Dahlia, ambrosia, daisy, chamomile, dandelion, sunflower, calendula, elecampane, string, coltsfoot, birch, olive, cereals, |
Citrus fruits, sunflower seeds (oil, halva), chicory, honey, celery, anise, cumin, coriander, fennel, carrots, parsley, pome fruits, stone fruits, kiwi, mango, peas, tomatoes, curry, dill, red pepper, pepper, peanuts , hazelnut. |
|||
Ambrosia |
Dandelion, sunflower, wormwood, chamomile. |
Melon, cucumber, sunflower seed, cantaloupe, bananas, celery, pome. |
||
Wormwood, ambrosia. |
||||
Daisy |
Wormwood, sunflower. |
|||
Sunflower |
Dandelion, ragweed, olive, herbs, grains, wormwood, chamomile. |
Halva, sunflower oil, sunflower seed |
||
Beetroot, spinach. |
Table 4. Cross-reactivity with cereals.
Table 5. Cross-reaction to drugs.
Drug allergen |
Cross allergy medications |
Chemical substances |
Food |
Penicillin |
Natural, semi-synthetic penicillins, cephalosporins. |
Beer, yeast, poultry and animal meat (feeding), rennet cheeses. |
|
Levomycetin |
Levomycetin group, syntomycin. |
||
Sulfonamides |
Furosemide, hypothiazide, dicaine, novocaine, anesthesin, bispetol, antabuse, almagel. |
||
Streptomycin |
Aminoglycosides. |
||
Tetracycline |
Metacycline, rondomycin, morphocycline, oletethrin. |
Meat of animals and birds (feeding with animal feed). |
|
NSAIDs, analgin, butadione, reopirin, theophedrine, citramon, askofen. Tablets in a yellow shell. |
Yellow food colors, preservatives. |
||
Ethylenediamine |
Aminophylline, promethazine, tripelenamine. |
Preservatives used in creams and ointments. |
Chocolate, cola, cocoa. |
Protamine, zinc |
Beef, pork |
||
Theophylline |
Suprastin |
||
Barbital |
Theophedrine, a group of barbiturates, valocardine, pentalgin, antasman. |
||
Antiviral vaccines |
Antibiotics. |
Duck, chicken, rabbit, egg. |
|
Plasma substitutes |
Cross allergy to mites
The possibility of cross-reactions between insect allergens, house dust mites and food allergens of animal origin, primarily seafood (crustaceans and mollusks), is being studied.
Cross allergy to latex
Patients with latex allergy are most often sensitized to certain foods of plant origin: fruits (latex-fruit syndrome) - apple, apricot, avocado, banana, cherry, fig, grapes, hazelnuts, kiwi, mango, melon, papaya, peach , a pineapple; nuts - coconut, hazelnut, chestnut; other plant products and pollen allergens: alder, buckwheat, celery, chocolate, potatoes, pistachios, sesame, tomatoes, peanuts. In addition, there is cross-reactivity between latex and edible mushrooms (latex-mushroom syndrome) and the mold Aspergillus fumigatus
The table will help you determine what you are cross-allergic to. Every person suffering from allergic diseases should have an understanding of what cross-allergy is and how to overcome its manifestations. After all, it often happens that a patient who has an established sensitivity to a certain substance suddenly develops similar symptoms of the disease from contact with another irritant. This reaction is called cross reaction.
Research into the nature of an allergic reaction shows that its cause is always contact with something that is irritating. This role can be played by allergens or external factors that have a physical impact. Cross allergy occurs when the body is exposed to several such irritants that have a similar structure.
Allergens are usually substances that are proteins or polysaccharides in nature. As a rule, they have a small molecular weight, due to which they can easily penetrate the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract or through the skin.
The characteristic properties that allergens have also include:
- the ability to maintain activity even in ultra-low doses;
- ability to dissolve and adsorb in the tissues of the human body;
- stable structure that allows it to remain unchanged in biological fluids.
Nowadays, science knows 14 types of pathogenic proteins that can provoke an excessive response of the immune system. The most dangerous of them are those included in the second, third, fifth and tenth groups. Moreover, they may contain, at first glance, completely different products or plants. For example, a patient who has been allergic to potatoes for many years may get the same reaction from contact with birch pollen and vice versa.
Cross allergy has the same symptoms as regular allergy. These are signals from the respiratory organs, skin or digestive system. But at the same time, due to the fact that the systems of the human body are affected by several allergens at once, the disease develops faster than usual. In addition, over time, the number of substances to which a reaction can develop gradually increases.
Illnesses associated with exposure to multiple allergens are uncommon in children under 6 years of age. Typically, predisposition to them manifests itself in the period from 6 to 15 years.
Diagnosing cross allergies is very difficult. Therefore, it is very important for the patient to know which substances have the ability to provoke it.
To make this task easier for him, researchers have compiled tables of their possible combinations. They will help avoid unwanted contact with irritants that can cause the same symptoms as the main allergen. Typically tables are grouped into groups.
The most common grouping of tables is by these types of irritants:
- Flowering grasses and pollen-producing trees.
- Food.
- Medicines.
This is what the table of cross allergens looks like when the disease is caused by pollen:
Pollen type | Substances that may cross-react | ||
Plants | Food | Medical and cosmetic products | |
Birch pollen | Apple, alder, hazelnuts | Pears, apples, all stone fruits, nightshade vegetables, beans, peas, cucumbers, onions | Shampoo, cream, scrub made from leaves, birch buds or alder cones |
Cereal pollen | - | Bakery products, dishes with sorrel | Cereal-based masks and creams |
Artemisia pollen | Flowers of the aster family, coriander, sunflower | Sunflower oil, halva, oranges, dill, potatoes, honey | Alcoholic drinks, balms and infusions containing wormwood and other herbs from the list |
Quinoa and ragweed pollen | Dandelion, sunflower | Sunflower seeds, spinach, bananas, | Medicines and skin care products made from dandelion raw materials |
Cross allergy table for popular foods:
Product | Substances that cause cross-reaction | |
Other products | Medical and skin care products | |
Cow's milk | beef meat, cow wool, goat milk | Preparations based on cattle enzymes |
Chicken eggs | Pork, beef, chicken, duck, quail meat and eggs | Ointments and creams using eggs in their preparation |
Fish | Fish products, seafood | Fish fat |
Kefir | Mushrooms, moldy cheese, yeast | Antibiotics of the penicillin group |
Strawberry | Berries with red pigment, persimmon | Infusions, ointments and creams with red berry extract |
Carrot | Parsley, wormwood | Vitamin A, beta-carotene |
Potato | Vegetables of the nightshade family, wormwood | Products containing potato starch as one of their components |
Apples, plums | Fruits with seeds, quince, almonds | Products in the manufacture of which raw materials from these fruits were used |
Hazelnut | All nuts, rice, buckwheat | Nut oils |
Bananas | Melon, kiwi, wheat gluten | - |
Citrus | All citrus fruits | Ointments, creams, tinctures and other products prepared using citrus fruits |
Legumes | All legumes, mango peanuts | Bean and peanut butter, thermopsis grass |
You should also know that ripe vegetables are more dangerous in terms of the possibility of allergic manifestations than unripe ones. We should also not forget that a cross-reaction to food may be evidence that there are problems in the stomach and intestines.
If we talk about medications, then almost all of them can manifest themselves as cross allergens.
A table for them can be compiled as follows:
Those who are allergic to medications need to know that substances that provoke a cross-reaction can also act as a sensitization factor for the body.
Separately, mention should be made of such a common allergen as latex. It is a natural rubber and serves as a raw material for the manufacture of many medical supplies, condoms, balloons and other items that modern people constantly encounter in their lives. A characteristic feature of latex is that it can not only be a separate allergen, but also the presence of many cross-allergens for it.
In combination with latex, the cause of the disease can be:
- fruits (almost all);
- nuts;
- plant foods (buckwheat, chocolate, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, sesame);
- pollen of ragweed, alder, cereals;
- mushrooms (edible and moldy).
For cross allergies, tables can be compiled based on different criteria, and they can be constantly refined and supplemented. The main thing is that they contain information that helps patients navigate the fight against the manifestations and prevention of allergic diseases.
Once a diagnosis has been established, a set of therapeutic measures is used to treat cross-allergic reactions.
It provides:
- conducting molecular studies that will help determine the main allergen and substances that cause cross-allergy;
- taking measures to prevent further contact with hazardous substances;
- prescription of antihistamines.
Another element of therapy is a special diet. At the same time, both those products to which an allergy has been established and those that can provoke a cross-reaction are excluded from the diet, according to the tables.
A feature of the treatment of allergic diseases with several allergens is also that measures to desensitize the body are not carried out. Also, allergy tests are not done, in which a small amount of allergen is injected under the patient's skin.
If a patient has been diagnosed with cross-allergy, he needs to organize his life in such a way as to be maximally protected from the effects of irritating substances. The tables above will help you determine which substances or products should be avoided. In addition, patients are recommended to keep a special diary in which they carefully record all cases and circumstances of allergic reactions.
You must also adhere to the following recommendations:
- regularly visit an allergist;
- constantly monitor the cleanliness of the house, regularly carry out wet cleaning;
- If there are animals in the house, ensure proper care for them. In the case when the patient’s disease is severe, it is better to give up pets altogether;
- exclude from your menu those foods that irritate the immune system and cause allergic reactions;
- wear sunglasses or gauze bandages when outdoors;
- try not to visit places where plants grow that can cause an allergic reaction. In extreme cases, in case of severe disease, change your region of residence;
- maintain personal hygiene - upon returning from the street, be sure to rinse your mouth, wash your hands and hair;
- wash clothes and bed linen, clean shoes more often;
- refuse to have carpets, upholstered furniture and other accessories in the house that can collect dust.
You should try to avoid stressful situations, as when they occur, the level of histamine in the body increases. This can significantly worsen the patient's general condition.
All allergens are conventionally divided into two large groups:
- endogenous, produced by the body itself;
- exogenous, entering the body from the outside.
In its turn, exogenous allergens classified as follows:
This is just one of the possible classifications of allergen groups. From a chemical and immunological point of view, it is customary to distinguish 15 groups of proteins that can lead to the development of an allergic reaction in the body.
Below is a table of the most common cross-allergic reactions to herbal components:
In patients prone to allergic reactions to herbal components or and mushroom spores, allergies to some foods often develop. Very often, patients, out of ignorance, do not connect the two types of allergic reactions at all.
Below is also a table of cross-allergies to a known food product and possible food and non-food allergens:
Food product | Cross allergens |
Cow's milk | Goat's milk and all milk-based products, beef and by-products, pancreatic enzymes |
Kefir and kefir starter | Yeast-like molds, some types of cheese, all products with yeast, antibiotics, mushrooms |
Fish | Fish dishes and seafood, aquarium fish food |
Chicken eggs | All products containing chicken meat and eggs, quail meat and eggs, duck. Feather pillows. Some protein-based drugs and vaccines |
Carrot | Parsley and celery roots. Retinol and preparations based on it |
Strawberry | Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, currants |
Apples | Fruits of peach, plum, pear, quince. Birch, alder and wormwood pollen. Pear, quince, peach, plum |
Potato | Tomatoes, eggplants, all varieties of peppers, tobacco |
Nuts of different varieties | Other types of nuts, rice or buckwheat flour, mango, kiwi |
Peanut | Latex, soy products, stone fruits, green peas |
Banana | Wheat proteins, melon, avocado, kiwi, plantain Wheat proteins, melon, avocado, kiwi, plantain |
Lemon | All types of citrus fruits |
Beet | Spinach, sugar beet |
The main clinical manifestations of a cross-allergic reaction are similar to those of classical allergies and are as follows:
- Skin manifestations- itching, burning, red spots. The rash can be single or merge into islands of different sizes.
- A severe form of allergy is characterized by massive rashes of pinkish-red or orange color.
- At the site of the rash, the skin begins to peel off and become covered with crusts.
- Severe itching leads to scratching of the skin and attachment secondary infectious lesions. Purulent blisters may form on the skin, accompanied by swelling and pain.
- In addition to skin manifestations, an allergic reaction may be accompanied by angioedema. In this case, the lips, tongue, face, and genital area swell.
- Possible development swelling of the upper respiratory tract and narrowing of their lumen and the development of an attack of suffocation.
- In severe form allergies can cause swelling of all internal organs.
- Allergic rhinitis accompanied by the release of transparent serous contents from the nasal passages, lacrimation, burning and pain in the eyes.
- Edema of the larynx is accompanied by a hoarse barking cough without sputum.
The most effective type of diagnostic test is immunological. Using special equipment and reagents, taking into account the data from the cross-allergen table, a certain specific protein is identified that can cause an allergy.
However, even modern and very accurate diagnostic methods in no way eliminate the need to carefully collect the patient’s medical history.
Treatment of cross allergies also differs little in essence from treatment of regular allergies. The only distinctive feature is the identification of the presence of possible cross-allergens. The most important thing in an allergy treatment regimen is to identify and, if possible, elimination him from the patient's environment.
Drug treatment consists of using antihistamines. Second and third generation drugs have the best effect today. They do not have a suppressive effect on the nervous system and have virtually no side effects.
- Among the most popular drugs include Cetirizine, Erius, Loratadine. The dosage is prescribed by the attending physician based on the patient’s condition, age and body weight. The course of treatment lasts from a week to several months.
- For mild forms of allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis, it is very good to use drugs based on cromoglycic acid. They are produced in the form of sprays, eye drops, and aerosols.
- In severe cases, the complex of treatment measures includes glucocorticoid hormones in the form of tablets, injections and infusions. Such drugs are usually prescribed for a very short course, as they are not only highly effective, but also have a large number of side effects.
- Skin manifestations allergies can be treated with special ointments containing glucocorticoids. Modern external medications do not have a systemic effect on the body and do not cause so many side effects.
- Food allergies require application enterosorbents to accelerate the removal of allergens from the intestines.
In addition to these methods, there is a specific immunotherapy. The patient receives a microscopic dose of the allergen, which gradually increases. Thus, over time, it is possible to reduce the patient’s sensitivity to the allergen.
Preventive measures against allergies depend on the nature of the primary allergen. If the main allergen is plant pollen, then it is recommended to avoid places where it may be present. It is best to avoid parks, squares, fields, and vegetable gardens.
When going outside, it is better to wear sunglasses and a hat. You can also use a protective mask. Arriving home, you need to take a shower to wash off the settled pollen from your skin and hair. After this, put on clean clothes. Cross-allergy to wormwood involves the exclusion of all dishes and infusions with this herb. At home it is necessary to do regular wet cleaning. Carpets and upholstered furniture must be cleaned and vacuumed regularly to prevent the proliferation of microscopic mites and the accumulation of house dust.
Food allergies involve the exclusion from the diet of all possible foods that can cause an exacerbation. It is in the case of foods that it will be especially important to remember the possibility of developing cross food allergies. Very often, a food reaction occurs to proteins found in raw foods. After heat treatment, their allergenic properties may inactivate. Still, it is better to consult a doctor before starting experiments.
A consultation with an experienced and competent allergist-immunologist will help determine the source of the allergy and take measures to prevent the clinical manifestations of this unpleasant disease.
The essence of the relationship between several allergens is manifested in their similarity in the set of amino acids.
Several different factors can give the same symptoms of allergic manifestations, and a person may not even know what pathogen he has.
For example, a patient has been allergic to poplar fluff for many years, but he just recently ate pineapple and received the same signs of an allergic reaction.
So it turns out that he had a cross-allergy that had been “hiding” in his body for years.
Groups of pathogenic proteins play a role in the formation of this phenomenon; they are capable of accumulating in various types of allergens, half of them are active, the second part are part of food elements.
There are 14 types in total, but proteins of groups 2, 3, 5 and 10 play an important role in identifying the symptoms of cross-allergy.
Provide a protective function for plants against fungi.
- avocado;
- bananas;
- kiwi;
- chestnuts;
- tomato and potatoes.
Capable of destroying the walls of fungi at the cellular level.
They are isolated from turnips and blackberries and are determined by a person’s age.
Proteins have antifungal activity and are present in apples, cherries, apricots and tomatoes.
The main allergen is birch pollen; similar proteins are present in many products:
- nuts;
- apples;
- cherries;
- carrots;
- potatoes.
The development of allergic reactions is manifested by the interaction of a certain amount of proteins with a similar set of amino acids.
The symptoms observed in the patient are difficult to identify with only one allergen.
Many medical sources offer special tables for your reference, where various allergens are collected based on the similarity of symptoms.
For example, if a patient has a cross-allergy to birch, similar symptoms to eating carrots, peaches, and kiwi are possible.
In this way, you can identify in advance the risk of an allergic reaction to a certain product or plant.
Manifestations of allergies are often seasonal, especially during the spring flowering of wind-pollinated plants.
If a person has an allergy to mold, it can persist for a year.
The first signs of cross-allergy appear before the age of 15, but very rarely before the age of six.
Its development is associated with unfavorable environmental conditions and lack of proper care for one’s health.
The mechanism of manifestation of allergic reactions from infancy is based on the consumption of dairy products.
If you are allergic to cow's milk, then other products of similar protein content, beef, liver, eggs, soy, will become “doubles”.
Signs of an allergic effect of an allergen on the body are:
- runny nose, nasal congestion, difficulty breathing;
- itching and burning in the respiratory tract, which provoke frequent sneezing;
- inflammatory processes of the mucous membrane of the eyes;
- swelling of the eyelids;
- numbness of the limbs;
- pharyngitis;
- congestion in the ears;
- hives;
- bronchial asthma.
Such symptoms can disrupt the functioning of many human organs and systems.
Plant pollen
Cereals
Their counterparts are all food grain products (barley, rye, wheat, oats). As well as biological groups of proteins from sorrel, tomato, melon and kiwi.
Warehouse mites - house dust mites are crustaceans.
- various herbs;
- cereals;
- sagebrush;
- ambrosia;
- banana;
- kiwi;
- potato;
- tomatoes;
- confectionery chestnut.
If a patient is allergic to any drug, then, most likely, after using other medications with a similar irritant, the same allergic reaction will follow.
Food allergies can manifest themselves in the following ways:
- if a person is allergic to cow's milk, then with a high probability we can say that similar symptoms can appear after consuming goat's milk, beef, veal, meat products based on them, as well as after contact with cow's hair;
- kefir doubles– this is yeast dough, cheese, kvass, ordinary mushrooms;
- sea fish– seafood;
- chicken eggs– all derivatives of chicken meat, cream, mayonnaise, feather pillows;
- strawberry– raspberries, currants, lingonberries;
- apples- pear, peach;
- nuts– rice flour, mango, poppy seeds, buckwheat porridge;
- peanut– stone fruits and berries;
- bananas– kiwi, avocado, latex;
- beet– sugar, spinach;
- legumes– mango, peanuts, soybeans, peas;
- kiwi- sesame, avocado, flour.
By following this food order, you can predict a possible reaction in advance and protect the body from interacting with the allergen counterpart.
Interested in treating allergies in adults? Click read.
Allergenic products
Cross-reacting products
Cucumbers, pumpkin, zucchini
Cabbage, horseradish, radish
Beans, peas, soybeans, lentils
Blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries
Cashew nuts, pistachios
Rhubarb, sour sorrel
Eggplants, potatoes, physalis
Cow's milk
Beef, milk of other animals
Trout, river fish, chicken meat (if the chickens were fed fishmeal)
Chicken eggs
Chicken meat, eggs of various birds
All varieties of cereals belong to the same grass family. Children with hypersensitivity may experience a cross-reaction, that is, intolerance to related plant varieties. Therefore, a child with a wheat allergy should not be constantly fed foods that contain rye, a grain that is in many ways similar to wheat. Replacing them with other varieties of grains - corn, millet and gluten-free rice - will not be a big problem.
Often children suffer, along with an allergy to cereals, an allergy to grass pollen, that is, hay fever. With persistent, persistent exclusion from the diet of any dishes that include plants from the herbal family, an obvious improvement in the condition of allergy patients can be achieved over the course of a year.
Allergies are caused by a hyperactive reaction of the immune system to the introduction of an allergen. An allergic reaction occurs only in a sensitized organism that has already “encountered” this type of allergen and has specific antibodies against it (IgE and IgG). When an irritant enters the body: plant pollen, food, medicine, or under the influence of physical factors (cold, sun rays, etc.), an immune response is triggered in the form of a cascade of cellular reactions.
Hypersensitivity can be mediated by different immune mechanisms. But their essence is that the allergen activates basophils, mast and cytotoxic cells. These immunocompetent cells secrete and “release” mediators (histamine, prostaglandins) into the blood. Which, in turn, have a pathological effect on surrounding tissues, leading to edema, increased permeability of blood vessels and increased secretion of the epithelium. This reaction can develop in a matter of minutes.
With the accumulation of pro-inflammatory mediators in the body on the second day, a late (slow) allergic reaction is formed. Allergies manifest clinically as rhinitis, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, urticaria or bronchial asthma.
Allergens are usually substances of a protein or polysaccharide nature with a low molecular weight, which ensures their penetration through the mucous membrane of the respiratory system or skin.
Chemical properties characteristic of allergens:
- activity in very small doses;
- high ability to penetrate, dissolve and adsorb in tissues;
- significant structural stability ensures their preservation in body fluids.
Cross allergy is caused by increased sensitivity to several allergens that are similar in structure.
Allergens have receptor structures called determinants. The possibility of cross-reactions is determined by the presence of identical determinants in different allergens, which can belong to a variety of carriers (dust, food, medications, pollen, etc.).
The following types of cross-reacting allergens are distinguished:
- For plant pollen. Hay fever is seasonal.
- Food allergens.
- Drug allergens.
- For house dust, mites and pet hair.
- Fungal allergens.
With cross-allergy, there is an increase in the number of allergens that cause increased sensitivity of a certain type.
Young children often develop cross food allergies to milk, complementary foods, sweets and pet hair.
This is due to low enzymatic activity and an immature immune system in children. If you follow a hypoallergenic diet, increased sensitivity usually goes away with age.
Diagnosis of cross-hypersensitivity consists of clinical examination, medical history, laboratory testing and skin tests.
- increased sensitivity to a certain factor and seasonality of manifestation are the basis for testing cross allergens;
- a family history is necessary since allergies are hereditary.
- Laboratory examination allows us to identify causative allergens:
- Determination of specific antibodies (IgE), basophil test, etc.
- Level of eosinophils in the blood.
- Skin testing: subcutaneous injection of small doses of standard allergens indicates the presence/absence of sensitivity. There are contraindications for exacerbation of allergies, pregnancy and some concomitant diseases.
- Provocative tests to confirm the diagnosis if there is a discrepancy between the history and skin testing. The same contraindications apply.
Hypersensitivity to pollen or hay fever is a very common phenomenon that allergy sufferers suffer from during flowering periods of grasses and trees. The allergy calendar identifies three dust peaks for the territory of central Russia:
Tables of possible cross-allergens allow you to choose the right hypoallergenic diet.
Table of cross allergens to pollen
Birch | Apple tree, alder, hazel | Apples, kiwi, strawberries, hazelnuts, peaches, pears, cherries, plums, carrots, potatoes, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, legumes | Birch leaves buds, alder cones. Shampoos, creams, scrubs |
Cereals | Wheat, oats, barley, rye, sorrel | Masks and scrubs based on oats and other grains | |
Sagebrush | Chamomile, dandelion, sunflower, coriander, dahlia | Citrus fruits, sunflower seeds (oil, halva), potatoes, parsnips, dill, coriander, anise, chicory, honey, | Cosmetics, vermouth, balms and infusions with wormwood, chamomile, calendula, string, elecampane |
Ambrosia, quinoa | Sunflower, dandelion | Beetroot, melon, bananas, sunflower seed, spinach | Medicines and cosmetics based on dandelions |
For allergy sufferers, it is recommended to keep an observation diary where you need to record which of the allergens (pollen, food or medications) and when caused an allergic reaction. This will allow you to plan an elimination diet and prevent exacerbations of the disease.
Cross food allergies can also be associated with diseases of the digestive system. All food products, with the exception of salt and refined sugar, have allergenic properties.
Allergies to “red” fruits and vegetables are very common. In particular, allergies to persimmons occur due to their high tannin content. Persimmon may have cross-allergens with heather plants (beak, lingonberry and heather pollen).
Statistics on the presence of cross food allergies:
- with hay fever more than 50%;
- with atopic dermatitis in 48%;
- in 15% in patients with bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis.
Table of cross-allergies to foods, drugs and cosmetics.
Cow's milk | Beef, veal, wool and meat products, goat milk | Enzyme products from cattle raw materials (Pancreatin, Festal, etc.) |
Chicken egg | Meat (including chicken), eggs and quail dishes, ducks, prepared foods (mayonnaise, sauces) | Creams and medications (Interferon, Lysozyme, Bifiliz) with egg components |
Kefir | Blue cheese, yeast dough, mushrooms (Penicillium and Aspergillus) | Penicillins |
Fish | Fish products, caviar, seafood: crustaceans and mollusks, daphnia | Fish fat |
Strawberry | Red berries (lingonberries, raspberries, currants, blackberries), persimmons | Herbal remedies and creams with extracts of these berries |
Carrot | Celery, parsley, wormwood | β-carotene, vitamin A |
Potato | Nightshades (tomato, paprika, eggplant), dishes with starch, wormwood, birch | Products containing potato starch (Volecam, Dextrans) |
Apples, plums (rosaceous plants) | Pear, quince, (stone peach, etc.), apple cider vinegar, almonds, prunes; pollen of alder, birch, wormwood | Preparations and cosmetics based on raw materials from the specified plants and fruits |
Hazelnuts | Nuts of all kinds, mango, kiwi, rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, poppy seeds, sesame seeds; birch and hazel pollen | Nut oils |
Peanut | Stone fruits, nightshades, bananas, soybeans, green peas; latex | Latex and products made from it: gloves, pacifiers, pool goggles, condoms |
Citrus | All citrus fruits (tangerine, lemon, etc.) | Cosmetics, oils, absorbable tablets based on citrus fruits |
Bananas | Kiwi, melon, avocado, wheat gluten; plantain pollen; latex | |
Mustard | Cruciferous vegetables (horseradish, all types of cabbage, radish) | |
Kiwi | Banana, nuts, avocado, bay leaf; rice, oatmeal, sesame; cereal and birch pollen | Latex, cosmetics made on its basis |
Beet | Chemoceae (spinach), beet molasses | Beet masks, beet juice |
Legumes | Beans, soybeans, peas, lentils, alfalfa, mango, peanuts | Thermopsis, cosmetic oils of legumes and peanuts |
- When boiling (20 minutes) cow's milk, bovine serum albumin and α-lactalbumin, which are strong allergens, are destroyed. However, these proteins are preserved in dry and condensed milk.
- If you are hypersensitive to fish, you can use canned fish.
It is necessary to distinguish between sensitivity to egg yolk (species-specific) and protein (non-species-specific). With the latter type of allergy, you cannot replace chicken eggs with eggs of other types of poultry (quail, duck), as they contain protein with similar determinants. It must be taken into account that many vaccines contain egg white admixtures.
Almost all medications have allergenic properties. Allergies to antibiotics are most often noted to drugs of the sulfonamide (Lidocaine, Bupivacaine, etc.) and penicillin groups, since they are strong allergens. Hypersensitivity to drugs develops only after repeated use of the drug that caused the allergy. However, cross-allergens can also pre-sensitize the body. It has been shown that an allergy to a certain antibiotic series leads to a cross-reaction to all drugs in this group.
Drug cross allergy table.
Cross hypersensitivity can provoke severe allergic conditions, so it is important to carry out timely diagnosis and treatment in specialized centers.
Treatment is based on:
- Elimination or limitation of the influence of causative allergens.
- Choosing a balanced diet.
- The use of antihistamines (Cetrin, Eden, Erius, etc.) to relieve allergy symptoms.
- Stabilization of mast cells (Cromone, Ketotifen).
- Prescribing glucocorticoids (Prednisolone, Dexamethasone, etc.) for severe allergies.
- Antigen-specific immunotherapy (hyposensitization).
The cross form of allergy manifests itself in the form of a negative reaction not only to a certain product, type of pollen or drug, but also to its “double”. Sometimes an acute response of the body is provoked by a group of foods, medicines or plants that contain similar substances.
Patients suffering from increased sensitization of the body should know how types of irritants are combined. It is important to understand how cross-allergy occurs. The table of identified combinations will help you avoid contact with substances that give the same negative reactions as the main irritant.
A negative response to various types of food, drugs, or plants is based on a similar set of amino acids in stimuli of different groups. The complex of pathogenic proteins that accumulate in certain types of allergens consists of active names and additional ones (in food elements).
Researchers have identified 14 types of proteins dangerous to humans. In case of cross-allergy, amino acids of the second, third, fifth and tenth groups show the greatest activity. Potential allergens are contained in foods and plants of various groups, sometimes not related to each other. That is why, if you are intolerant to peanuts, negative reactions are possible when consuming stone fruits, bananas, and soy.
The signs of a cross allergic reaction are the same as with other types of negative response to irritants. Symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. Depending on the type of allergen, skin signs, problems with the organs of vision and breathing appear, and general health often worsens.
In most patients, the first symptoms of cross-allergy appear between 6 and 15 years of age. The risk of developing negative signs increases with poor ecology, non-compliance with the principles of proper nutrition, careless attitude towards home hygiene and personal care.
Find out the instructions for using Tizin Allergy spray for adults and children.
Effective methods for treating finger allergies are described on this page.
The main symptoms of allergic reactions:
- skin itching, discomfort, burning;
- red spots on the skin - from small to large, the formations are located singly or merge into islands. In severe form, the spots cover a large area on various parts of the body;
- small rash of pinkish-red, whitish, red-orange or faint pink color;
- burning, peeling of irritated areas, crusts, unpleasant shine. In severe cases - weeping, secondary infection occurs, inflammation and fungal skin lesions develop;
- blisters (red or white, with a purple border);
- swelling or pronounced swelling of tissues. With angioedema, the face, lips, and genitals become very swollen, the lumen of the larynx narrows, the tongue swells, the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and internal organs swell;
- lacrimation appears, the conjunctiva and eyelids become red and itchy;
- Rhinorrhea develops, clear, thin mucus flows from the nose, the discharge has no odor or color. The nose is swollen, it is difficult to breathe, the patient often sneezes;
- there is a sore throat, shortness of breath, attacks of suffocation, a barking allergic cough, and the sputum practically does not come out.
On a note! When exposed to several allergens, negative reactions appear faster than when exposed to one type of irritant. Often, with birch pollen intolerance, the patient does not suspect that he is allergic to nuts, which the person practically does not consume. But after eating a portion of peanuts, the same reactions develop as during the flowering of a birch tree. The table data suggests that nuts are an additional irritant in case of an allergy to the pollen of the “blond beauty”.
Cross allergen tables
Based on the research results, scientists have compiled several tables, by looking at which allergy patients can easily determine which foods, medications, and plants are potentially dangerous for them. Each block indicates the main irritant and names, upon contact with which a negative response of the body is possible.
Table No. 1. Pollen and possible cross-reactions
Type of main stimulus | Group No. 1 (pollen) | Group No. 2 (products of plant origin) | Group No. 3 (medicinal plants) |
Cereal pollen | Barley, wheat, sorrel, oats | Various types of cereals | |
Artemisia pollen | Dandelion, sunflower, chamomile and dahlia | All types of citrus fruits, sunflower oil and halva, chicory, honey and bee products | Chamomile flowers, calendula, coltsfoot, succession grass, elecampane, all parts of wormwood |
Birch pollen | Alder, hazel | Stone fruits, birch sap, kiwi, carrots, nuts, potatoes | Alder cones, buds or birch leaves |
Ambrosia pollen | Dandelion and sunflower | Bananas, sunflower seeds and products made from them: halva, refined and unrefined oil |
Table No. 2. Food
Main allergen | Possible negative reactions for the following titles |
River and sea fish | All types of seafood, dry fish food |
Peanut | Stone fruits, green peas, soy protein, tomatoes, bananas |
Tangerines | Other types of citrus fruits |
Kiwi | Oatmeal or rice flour, avocado cereals, bananas, various types of nuts, buckwheat |
Potato | Plants of the nightshade family: eggplants, all types of lettuce peppers, tomatoes, paprika, tobacco |
Strawberry | Blackberries, red and black currants, raspberries, strawberries, lingonberries |
Whole cow's milk | Allergies are provoked by veal, fatty and lean beef, products containing protein from cow's or nutritious goat's milk, and enzyme medicines, in the production of which substances from the pancreas of cattle were used. Negative reactions are possible while on a farm after an allergic person has touched the fur of a bull, cow or calf. |
Carrot | Foods containing beta-carotene, parsley and celery |
Plums | Prunes, apricots, nectarines and peaches, almond kernels, apples of various varieties, especially red ones, cherries and cherries |
Kefir yeast or kefir | Mushrooms of all kinds, penicillins, molds, yeast-based dough, blue cheese, natural kvass |
Table No. 3. Medicines
Names of allergen drugs | Drugs that cross-react to the main irritant |
Macrolide group | Clarithromycin, Azithromycin, Erythromycin |
Penicillin group | Monobactams, cephalosporins, penicillins of semi-synthetic and natural origin |
Acetylsalicylic acid | Medicines of the NSAID group, complex preparations with NSAID components: Baralgin, Pentalgin |
Iodine | Components for conducting studies of internal organs (X-ray contrast agents), L-thyroxine, Lugol, iodine-containing compounds, Iodinol, Iodomarin |
Sulfonamides | Novocaine, thiazide diuretics, various drugs of the sulfonamide group: Etazol, Sulfadimethoxine, Biseptol. Phenothiazine drugs: Pilpofen, Diazepam |
Tetracyclines | All tetracycline antibacterial drugs: Doxycycline, Metacycline, Tetracycline |
Therapy is carried out according to the standard scheme:
- identification of the allergen and its “doubles” using molecular research;
- excluding or limiting contact with hazardous elements;
- taking new generation antihistamines. The drugs Erius, Claritin, Zodak, Cetrin, Suprastinex, Zyrtec received positive reviews;
- cleansing the body - taking sorbents. Polysorb, Smecta, Enterosgel, activated carbon, herbal infusions (nettle, chamomile, burdock root, oak bark, allergy herb);
- hypoallergenic diet. It is mandatory to refuse not only products that have been identified as allergens based on test results, but also other potentially dangerous items. Nuts, honey, chocolate, full-fat cow's milk, soy, seafood, and citrus fruits often cause acute reactions.
Specific therapy to reduce the body's sensitization to many irritants is not carried out. The ASIT therapy method is effective for rhinitis of allergic origin, intolerance to pollen, bronchial asthma, and severe reactions to stings of wasps, bees, and hornets. In case of polyallergies, doctors do not prescribe the administration of small doses of irritants.
How and with what to treat allergies on the face of a baby? Find out effective treatment options.
For a list of approved allergy pills during pregnancy, see this page.
When identifying a cross form, it is important to consider protection from exposure to irritants. Tables of common combinations will help you understand which foods to avoid and which plants to stay away from.
You need to know what you can’t plant in your summer cottage and what dangerous weeds you should destroy without delay. The list of medications and their “doubles”, which often cause a negative response from the body, is useful for patients of any age: everyone encounters antibiotics at least once in their life.
Additional protection measures:
If you identify a cross allergy, do not despair: modern antihistamines minimize the risk of severe manifestations. Tables of allergens and their “doubles” will help you create a menu and carry out herbal treatment. It is important to know which plant pollen can cause negative reactions, and which weeds to destroy before others. Every person with hypersensitivity should have a list of allergens and additional irritants. Cross allergy code according to ICD 10 – J30, L23, T78.1 and others: the concept includes many negative reactions to various types of irritants.
Video - expert advice on the symptoms and treatment of cross allergies:
30.06.2017
An allergic reaction develops as a result of the interaction of the human body with irritating substances. Substances that cause an allergic reaction can be different; each person may have a different reaction to the same irritant. But the principle of action of the allergen is always the same.
After the penetration of an allergenic substance into the human body, a chain reaction of internal organs and systems occurs, which ultimately leads to the development of inflammatory processes and the active production of specific immunoglobulin by the immune system. All this leads to the appearance of certain symptoms, in particular itching of the skin, sneezing, dermatitis, and runny nose. Allergy itself is a rather insidious disease, and only one substance does not always act as an irritant.
Sometimes the development of an allergic reaction is caused by the influence on the body of several allergens that have a similar composition. And this protective reaction of the body is called cross-allergy. Simply put, with a cross allergy, a person who reacts to one allergen has similar symptoms after interacting with other substances that have a similar structure. What is cross allergy, what cross allergens exist and how is this disease treated? You will learn about all this further.
The principle of cross-allergy development
Mechanism of development of cross-allergy
An allergy is a specific protective reaction of the immune system to the penetration of an allergen into the body. All allergenic substances that cause such an immune response are proteins consisting of amino acids. An allergic reaction occurs only in the body, which has already interacted with a certain irritant and produced specific antibodies against it.
Many allergenic substances have a similar set of amino acids, which is why cross-allergy occurs. Such substances with a similar structure are called chemical doubles and can also act as provocateurs of an allergic reaction. And to better understand what the essence of cross-allergy is, let’s give a simple example: a person who is allergic to milk experiences the same allergic symptoms after eating eggs, liver, soy and beef.
There are several mechanisms for the development of cross-allergy:
- allergens have the same composition;
- epitopes that have different origins but are common to food and air;
- Identical allergens are contained in food or in the inhaled air, that is, an allergenic identity is created.
Signs of cross allergies
Symptoms of cross allergy are the same as with normal allergy
The symptoms of cross-allergy are the same as with normal allergy, that is, the following phenomena are observed:
- allergic rhinitis;
- skin rash;
- itching and burning of the skin;
- conjunctivitis;
- numbness of the limbs;
- pharyngitis.
In difficult situations, angioedema or allergic shock may develop. And due to the fact that the signs of cross-allergy are the same as with food, contact or any other allergic reaction, it becomes difficult to determine the cause of the pathology. The first signs of a cross-allergic reaction usually appear between the ages of 6-15 years.
A feature of cross-allergy is that the number of allergens leading to a disorder in the patient’s condition increases gradually, so it is necessary to diagnose allergies until the number of allergenic substances reaches a huge amount. And the symptoms that patients complain about are difficult to attribute to just one, specific external irritant.
And in this regard, it was decided to create special tables, the information of which allows us to determine which allergenic substances are capable of causing the same symptoms as the main allergen; a particular person has individual intolerance.
Features of cross allergens
Allergens can be divided into several separate groups
Allergens are substances that are protein or polysaccharide in nature and have a low molecular weight, due to which they can easily penetrate the skin and mucous membrane. Cross allergens have certain chemical properties:
- have a stable structure, which ensures the preservation of their activity in body fluids;
- are active in small quantities;
- have an increased ability to penetrate, dissolve and be absorbed into tissues.
All existing allergens can be divided into several separate groups. But the greatest attention should be paid to the group of cross allergens, which are substances of different origins, but identical structure. This group of allergenic substances is quite insidious, since if the human body is hypersensitive to one substance, then it automatically becomes hypersensitive to other irritants that have a similar structure.
Such allergens are usually called cross-allergens. And another important point to remember about cross allergens is that the body's reaction to cross allergens will develop in the same organ or system. Various cross-allergens are known in medicine, a table for each group of which is in this article.
Groups of pathogenic proteins
Main groups of pathogenic proteins
Just a few decades ago, the mechanism of cross-allergy was not known, but with the development of molecular biology in recent decades, much has changed. In the formation of cross-allergy, pathogenetic proteins play an important role, which can accumulate in various types of allergens.
And one half of them is active, and the second half is found in food products. Thus, 14 main groups of pathogenic proteins have been identified that can be classified as allergic substances.
But not all groups, but only some, take part in the development of cross-form allergies, among which are:
- second group. It includes enzymes that are produced by plants to protect against fungi, for example, chestnuts, kiwi;
- third group. It includes substances that can destroy chitin and the walls of fungi located at the cellular level. They are also found in bananas, avocados and other foods that belong to the second group of pathogenic proteins;
- fourth group. These include proteins that are determined as a person ages and are found in blackberries and turnips;
- fifth group. Proteins have antifungal activity, and they are found most of all in apples and cherries;
- tenth group. The main allergen of this group is birch pollen, but in addition, similar proteins are found in apples, carrots, apricots, parsley and some others;
- fourteenth group. Allergens of this group have increased antimicrobial activity and are found in peaches, apples and apricots.
Diagnosis and treatment of cross allergies
Methods for diagnosing allergies
Several methods are used as diagnostics, the most effective of which is considered to be molecular diagnostics. The peculiarity of this diagnostic method is that the body’s reaction is determined not to a specific product or plant, but to a specific protein, which is part of the allergenic counterparts. Also, cross allergies are diagnosed using:
- immunological testing;
- conducting skin and intradermal tests and samples;
- laboratory and provocative testing;
- clinical examination;
- anamnesis collection.
And after a cross-allergy has been detected, the doctor prescribes a comprehensive treatment, the main stage of which is the prescription of antihistamines, the most popular of which are Claritin, Ceritisin, Zyrtec and their analogues.
The advantage of these medications is that they do not affect the nervous system and do not lead to the development of serious side effects. To generally improve the condition, at the initial stage of an allergic reaction, you can use drops for the eyes and nose, which will reduce inflammation of the eyes and runny nose.
Also, many doctors also prescribe enterosorbents, for example, activated carbon, with the help of which accumulated toxins are removed from the body. In the later stages of allergies, it is still recommended to undergo a course of immunotherapy. All medications for cross allergies and their dosage are determined strictly by the doctor. And if you have been diagnosed with a cross allergy, the table of duplicate allergens should always be in your sight.
Food cross allergy chart
Sometimes it can be quite difficult to guess which food product will be an allergen. But some of the most common cross allergens are still known and are even listed in the cross allergy table.
Main product | Allergenic doubles |
Cow's milk | Milk from any other animal, soy, beef |
Fish | Fish food, various seafood |
Apples | Pears, plums, birch pollen, quince, peaches |
Potato | Tomatoes, eggplants, dishes containing starch |
Citrus | Any citrus fruits and citrus-based preparations |
Bananas | Melon, latex, exotic fruits |
Nuts | Sesame, flour of any kind, buckwheat, rice, nut oils |
Legumes | Mango, peanuts, any legumes, bananas, alfalfa |
Kefir | Blue cheeses, antibiotics, kvass |
Carrot | Vitamin A, parsley, celery |
Strawberry | Currants, raspberries, blackberries |
Chicken eggs | Chicken meat in any form, quail eggs, mayonnaise and sauces containing eggs |
Cross food allergies occur quite often, so you should be careful with consuming unfamiliar foods, and complex treatment should also include a special diet, which is selected by the attending physician.
Pollen cross allergy table
Increased sensitivity of the body to the pollen of certain plants is also called hay fever and manifests itself in spring and summer, that is, during periods when most allergenic plants bloom, but sometimes symptoms can also be observed in the fall, during the flowering of wormwood and ragweed. A pollen cross allergen chart will help reduce the likelihood of a repeat allergic reaction.
People prone to allergies to pollen are advised to keep a diary in which they indicate which allergen caused the allergic reaction and when. Such observations will allow you to plan your diet and will be an excellent preventative measure.
Table of cross-allergies to medications
Almost all medications have allergic properties, especially antibiotics. The body's hypersensitivity to a particular drug develops only after repeated administration of the drug that caused the allergic reaction. And if a person is allergic to a certain medication, then this should be indicated in the medical record.
You can often hear “my daughter is allergic to birch” or “my son cannot tolerate nuts.” However, not all mothers, even mothers of children with allergies, remember cross-allergy. An allergen is not just a “harmful plant”, but a specific chemical substance that (or similar to it) can be contained in the most unexpected plants, fruits, pollen and even synthetic products.
A general practitioner talks about cross-allergies.
In spring, with the blossoming nature, not only representatives of the plant and animal world are activated, but also the human immune system. And why all? Allergens have arrived in the “blessing of the air”... The season of cross-allergy to pollen of flowering plants and other food and household allergens begins.
” Food allergies occur in approximately 4% of the total US adult population (more often in women) and in 8% of children, with a predominance of young children (under 5 years). There are no similar statistics in Russia.
Allergy or intolerance?
The terms food allergy and food intolerance are somewhat similar; in both cases, contact with unwanted food during the period of sensitization of the body leads to painful symptoms, but they are different.
Allergies are characterized by skin manifestations: eczema, dermatitis, prurigo, urticaria, as well as symptoms of rhinitis or conjunctivitis.
If you are intolerant to certain foods, you may experience migraine, nonspecific joint pain, or nervous system disorders; in children - hyperactivity, hysteria, aggression, or vice versa, a feeling of fatigue and depression. There may also be stomach pain, indigestion symptoms, and even ear infections.
Agree - the symptoms are very varied, and it can be difficult to establish a cause-and-effect relationship, especially if you have cross allergies.
” For example, every spring you can’t eat apples or nuts, or your tongue starts to itch from mustard and radishes, or the first cherries give you a headache.
It's not the pesticides you think are in early imported stone fruits. Cross-reactions occur between the protein components of tree pollen - in our latitudes, most often birch (in the southern regions also alder and hazel) and a fairly extensive list of plants from the Rosaceae families (stone fruits - apples, peaches, apricots, plums, cherries), umbelliferae (carrots) and celery, but don’t write off cilantro, also known as coriander, dill and cumin), nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers), and there are also nuts growing on trees (walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts) and exotic fruits (kiwi and mango ).
Why, when the birch tree blooms, does intolerance to certain foods occur even in those who breathe calmly?
Different members of the plant kingdom have common proteins. Thus, the structural similarity of apple and birch allergens is about 63%. This is enough to stimulate our immune cells to excessively produce immunoglobulin E (IgE). A blooming birch tree under the window sensitizes the body (makes it especially sensitive to the allergen), and repeated encounters with a similar substance lead to an immediate reaction. After eating some plum, a person suddenly begins to feel tingling, swelling of the mucous membranes of the mouth, it seems to him that his ears are blocked, or suddenly his nose begins to run and his eyes water.
Pollen cross allergy table
Pollen |
Plants related in the set of proteins - allergens |
Products of plant origin |
Hazel, chestnut, alder, apple, apricot, plum, peach, cherry pear |
Apples, plums, apricots, cherries, peaches, kiwi, carrots, potatoes, celery, hazelnuts |
|
Cereal products - barley, rye, oats, wheat. Sorrel, tomato, melon, kiwi |
||
Dahlia, sunflower, chamomile, dandelion |
Sunflower seed, citrus fruits, chicory, honey, anise, celery, cumin, fennel, coriander, carrots, parsley |
|
Spinach and beets |
||
Sunflower |
Wormwood, dandelion |
Halva, sunflower oil, sunflower seed |
Dandelion, sunflower |
Melon, sunflower seed, cucumber, bananas |
How to Diagnose Cross Allergies
Calculating the relationship between allergens can be quite difficult. A food journal can help.
” By recording the foods you eat and your symptoms, you may find that plum compote only gives you headaches in the spring. It's more difficult when the produce and flowering seasons coincide; it's hard to tell whether a cherry intolerance is a cross-reaction to something until you eat it in August or October.
The diagnosis can be helped by an allergy panel - a test for a specific set of IgE (pollen, household allergens, food allergens...) This test is done without exacerbation of chronic or acute inflammatory diseases and without taking antihistamines, so as not to get a distorted picture.
Can food intolerance develop into something more unpleasant or, conversely, disappear?
The reactivity of the immune system changes throughout a person’s life, this is due both to the peculiarities of the functioning of the immune organs and to the possibility of contact with allergens.
Young children are more likely than adults to suffer from food intolerance due to the structure of their intestines. The increased permeability of the intestinal wall allows different protein molecules to come into contact with the immune system (there are a lot of lymph nodes in the intestine, and they contain immune memory cells - 80% of all immune-competent cells in the body). Modern complementary feeding schemes are based on this knowledge.
Eight major allergens cause 90% of all food allergies:
dairy products,
eggs (and chicken)
nuts (walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, almonds),
crustaceans and molluscs.
By the age of 5-8, every second allergy sufferer becomes tolerant to previously intolerant foods, and the food allergy goes away. Today, pediatricians believe that if a child is born with a risk of food allergies (from parents with allergies), then the rational introduction of complementary foods significantly reduces the risk of developing allergic reactions in adulthood.
” It is possible that the timing of the start of feeding children traditional products made from cow's milk and wheat flour will soon be revised. And this will reduce the number of those who are intolerant to gluten and casein. Western doctors already recommend introducing children to wheat bread and cottage cheese after one year.
What to do if you have food intolerance or symptoms that indicate it
Remove questionable foods from your or your children's diet during the flowering period, and keep a food diary. The period of “washing” from antibodies already circulating in the body, which can participate in delayed reactions and cause swelling of the limbs and joints, redness of the mucous membranes of the eyes, lacrimation, runny nose and a feeling of congestion in the nose and ears, takes 2-3 weeks. By comparing your diet with your symptoms, you can guess what caused the cross-reaction. Remember that some antihistamines lose their effectiveness when used for a long time; they must be changed every 14 days.
Food cross allergy chart
Product |
Cross reactions |
Cow's milk |
Beef, veal, wool and meat products, goat milk |
Chicken egg |
Meat (including chicken), eggs and quail dishes, ducks, prepared foods (mayonnaise, sauces) |
Blue cheese, yeast dough, mushrooms (Penicillium and Aspergillus) |
|
Fish products, caviar, seafood: crustaceans and mollusks, daphnia |
|
Strawberry |
Red berries (lingonberries, raspberries, currants, blackberries), persimmons |
Celery, parsley, wormwood |
|
Mustard |
Cruciferous vegetables (horseradish, all types of cabbage, radish) |
Banana, nuts, avocado, bay leaf; rice, oatmeal, sesame; cereal and birch pollen |
|
Chemoceae (spinach), beet molasses |
|
Beans, soybeans, peas, lentils, alfalfa, mango, peanuts |
If you are pregnant and have seasonal allergies...
During pregnancy, chorionic cells suppress local immunity so that the fertilized egg (a carrier of foreign genes and proteins) can implant. Therefore, the onset of pregnancy is characterized by a “failure of immunity.” There is a version that early toxicosis of pregnant women is precisely a response to severe immunosuppression and a way to remove some of the immune complexes from the body. Often in women suffering from seasonal and food allergies, symptoms worsen during pregnancy or new manifestations of the disease arise. For example, eczema joins hay fever, or bronchial asthma debuts. The good news is that often with the birth of a child, the exacerbation ends, skin symptoms disappear, as immune complexes, whose appearance is caused by the presence of foreign proteins in the body, also disappear.
” However, if the onset of pregnancy (before 12 weeks) occurs at the peak of seasonal allergies, it may spontaneously terminate. With high tension of the immune system and hypersensitivity of immune cells, the embryo cannot “deceive” the maternal body and successfully implant, develop a vascular network in the chorion and receive nutrition through the maternal circulatory system.
Please note that during pregnancy, taking any medications, including antihistamines, must be agreed with your doctor. At the moment, there are no antiallergic drugs that would be recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy. If you are prone to allergies and are planning a pregnancy, try to conceive in the autumn-winter period and protect yourself from cross-allergens.