“Is an allergy to apples possible?”
My daughter is 13 years old. Yesterday she had an apple and immediately after eating the fruit she devoloped severe rashes on her tongue. I gave her Zyrtec post that helped the reaction subside. She had no such allergy like this before. Can an allergy to apples develop all of a sudden?
6 Answers
Yes, this is very common in people who have seasonal allergy to birch pollen. Her immune system is recognizing cross-reacting proteins in the raw apple (also, sometimes in pears, peaches, cherries and all other "stone" fruits). This is called oral allergy syndrome. This also is associated with her being able to eat apple sauce or cooked apples without symptoms.. If this is too bothersome, have her evaluated by an allergist since allergy immunotherapy to a PRW mixture of birch pollen may be helpful. Otherwise, just have her avoid these fruits.
Yes, unfortunately, this is not an unusual situation we see - I see at least 2-3 patients/day with such symptoms. Reactions to apples are very common, but many other fresh fruits or vegetables can be involved as well. It is an extension of her pollen allergies - there are family of proteins in pollen that cross react with certain ones in fresh fruits and vegetables and trigger an oral reaction. it is called immune mimicry - the cells in the oral mucosa are confused from the structurally similar proteins in the food and become activated. The type of fruit or vegetable one would react to is dependent on the person's specific pollen sensitizations.
The good news about those reactions is that they are usually mild and self limited - meaning than even without an antihistamine most people's symptoms would resolve on their own in 20-30min. Epinephrine device is not indicated and the person can safely consume the offending fruit or vegetable in their cooked forms - apple sauce, apple pie, etc. We generally advise avoidance of the offending food in its fresh/raw state. Speaking with an allergist and potentially doing specific and detailed testing will be able to provide you with more information and also alleviate fears of how to approach such situations in the future.
Hope that helps.
Sincerely,
Monika Korff, MD
The good news about those reactions is that they are usually mild and self limited - meaning than even without an antihistamine most people's symptoms would resolve on their own in 20-30min. Epinephrine device is not indicated and the person can safely consume the offending fruit or vegetable in their cooked forms - apple sauce, apple pie, etc. We generally advise avoidance of the offending food in its fresh/raw state. Speaking with an allergist and potentially doing specific and detailed testing will be able to provide you with more information and also alleviate fears of how to approach such situations in the future.
Hope that helps.
Sincerely,
Monika Korff, MD
You most likely have the ”oral allergy syndrome,” which is a localized oral reaction to a protein just beneath the skin. It is related to pollen allergy - most likely birch pollen. It will not occur with cooked apples.
People do develop allergies overtime and she may have been having increasing problems with apples. It sounds like she may have oral allergy syndrome, which occurs with certain raw fruits and vegetables and causes mouth itching primarily. This can be related to outdoor allergies as the apples and tree pollen allergens cross react in some people.
Yes, one can develop an allergy to apples, though a true allergy to apples is rare. It is more likely that your daughter has developed oral allergy syndrome, especially if she suffers from "hay fever " (bitch pollen allergy seems to be the culprit).
Allergy to a food may begin at any time. Some people are allergic to one species of apple and some to all. If the reaction was only on her tongue, it may represent the oral allergy syndrome. She should have allergy testing for apple and if you know the specific apple, bring it with her to the Allergist. There are serious food allergies and milder ones. She should see an Allergist.
