Food allergy is an immune system response to a food protein that occurs soon after eating an allergy provoking food. The process of digestion is very complex and it affects on the specific symptoms of an allergic reaction to food.

The symptoms of food allergy begin to appear within a few minute after eating the food. But the reaction of these symptoms usually takes 1 to 2 hours to occur.
An estimated ratio of food allergy among children of under age 3 is about 6 to 8 percent while 4 percent of adults suffering from this allergy.

Mostly food allergy mix with food intolerance that is a less serious condition and it does not involve the immune system.The symptoms of a food allergy can be mild, severe or even life-threatening.  The most common symptoms are categorized as Skin, digestive, respiratory and anaphylaxis reactions.

Symptoms included in these reactions are following:

? Skin symptoms like hives (urticaria), itchy, scaly rash called eczema (or atopic dermatitis) occurs when the absorbed allergy enter in the bloodstream and then in the skin. It also cause of redness or flushing (erythema) and swelling (edema) on the lips and mouth.? Digestive system, the symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea can start when food reach to stomach and intestines. These symptoms sometimes mix with various types of food intolerance.? Respiratory symptoms are sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose, wheezing, scratchy throat and breathing difficulties, asthma, watery eyes and Tightness in the chest appear in the reaction of food allergy. From the skin, allergens enter into the airways there they can cause of respiratory reactions.

Anaphylaxis:
Anaphylaxis can affect various parts of the body including the skin and the digestive and respiratory systems or sometime it just covers respiratory or cardiovascular symptoms. Anaphylaxis is a sudden drop in blood pressure occurs when the allergens travel through the blood vessels. It generally begins within 5 to 60 minutes after the exposure and they

starts with mild symptoms including:
- loss of consciousness
- tingling in the mouth
- falling blood pressure
- light-headedness
- difficulty in breathing
- dizziness
- Rapid or irregular heart beat
- including difficulty breathing
- swelling of the upper throat

Anaphylaxis can be fatal and cause a coma or death. Each year, about 150 people in the United States die of food-related anaphylaxis.

People who are suffering from severe allergic reaction need to take special precautions and avoid such food that cause allergy.

It is to find out the prevalence of celiac disease and to see whether it had any long-term health hazards if left unnoticed or diagnosed late a research team was formed under the leadership of Dr. Joseph Murray at Mayo Clinic. This team of researchers tested some blood samples gathered at Warren AFB (Air Force Base) in Wyoming during the time span of 1948 and 1954 for the presence of the antibody that a person with CD produce in reaction with the protein gluten.

They also compared this result with the results of the blood test collected form the Olmsted Country at Minnesota. The comparison study revealed surprising results that the young people of today are almost 4.5 times more likely to get affected by CD that the young people of 1950’s. Speaking about the results Dr. Murray said, CD is unusual but is no more a rare syndrome. He also added that celiac disease has become more common that it affects one in a hundred Americans.

This study also reported that people who were unaware of the fact that they have CD are 4 times more likely to die than people who were CD-free during its 45 years of research. Dr. Murray also confirmed this fact when he said undiagnosed CD may prove vital that it may have a serious impact on one’s survival.

When a person with this disease eats some food containing gluten, his/her immune system attacks the small intestine and destroys the intestine villi and also stops the absorption of vital nutrients into the body. Some of the symptoms of this disorder include abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, sudden weight loss, loss of teeth, anemia, infertility and even osteoporosis.

Pancreatitis

This is a disorder that causes the inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatitis is caused when the digestive enzymes from the exocrine gland becomes hyper active within the pancreas, instead of getting activated at the duodenum and thus start digesting the pancreas itself. The common symptoms of this disorder include severe abdominal pain and can also cause nausea and vomiting. Pancreatitis can be classified into two types namely the acute pancreatitis and the chronic pancreatitis.

1- The acute pancreatitis usually occurs all of a sudden and may be a single or recurring event. This disease can be very fatal and the abdominal pain in this case is very severe.

It also causes internal bleeding and infection that can be life threatening. The primary cause of this disease is the blockage of the pancreas by gallstones

2- Chronic pancreatitis is often accompanied by persistent abdominal pain and may or may not present with the raised pancreatic enzymes. This type of disorder develops gradually and causes a slow destruction of the pancreas. It also causes other infections like bacterial infections and type 2 diabetes. The primary cause of this is alcoholism and gall bladder disease.

Pancreatic cancer

This is fourth major cause of the cancer death in the United States and has resulted in the death of 32000 people last year. Various factors result in pancreatic cancer. Some of them include smoking, age, gender as it is more common in men, chronic pancreatitis and exposure to certain chemicals.

These types of cancers develop in the exocrine tissues.

Pancreatic insufficiency is also another common disease where the pancreas becomes dumb and cannot produce digestive enzymes and it occurs due to pancreatic damage.