What Causes a Wheat Allergy?

A welcome back to Christian Nordqvist, writer for MedicalNewsToday.com, whose excellent and comprehensive articles on various subjects of interest and concern to your readers I take delight in linking to.

His most recent article is What Causes a Wheat Allergy?.

People with a wheat allergy have an abnormal immune system response to at least one of the proteins that exist in wheat. It is one of the most common childhood food allergies, but may affect adults as well. The person with a wheat allergy has developed a specific antibody to a wheat protein, and sometimes more than one.

People with wheat allergies can respond with a variety of possible signs and symptoms, including breathing difficulties, nausea, hives, bloated stomach and an inability to focus. With some people the consumption of wheat and wheat products may result in anaphylaxis - a life-threatening allergic response.

The allergic reaction involves IgE (immunoglobulin) antibodies to at least one of the following proteins found in wheat:

• Albumin
• Globulin
• Gliadin
• Glutenin (gluten)

Most allergic reactions involve albumin and globulin. Allergy to gliadin and gluten are less common. Gluten allergy is often confused with Celiac disease or some other digestive disorders.

Some people have an allergic reaction when they inhale wheat flour, while others need to eat it in order to experience symptoms. An allergic reaction can occur within minutes or sometimes hours of either consuming or inhaling wheat.

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