Today we’re going to talk about all things celery allergy. Managing a celery allergy sounds easy on the surface, however, it’s actually a lot harder than you’d think. The biggest reason it’s hard to manage in some countries: it’s a base ingredient that’s part of a LOT of other foods.
However, if you live in a country that recognizes celery as a major allergen like in top 14 countries, celery is included in that list and will be called out (like milk or sesame).
Now, let’s take a deeper look at food allergy basics, how you can avoid celery, and a lot more.
Be sure to use the table of contents to jump around as you see fit.
What Is Celery
Celery is a plant that’s grown for human consumption. Its scientific name is Apium graveolens. Interestingly, there are three cultivar groups as well: Dulce Group, Secalinum Group, and Rapaceum Group. The different groups refer to different types of celery, which we’ll cover later in this article.
The most common type of celery you’ll see in stores are long, green, firm stems that have leaves on top that look similar to flat leaf parsley.
What is a Food Allergy?
A food allergy is a response by your immune system that’s triggered by a protein that your body sees as a threat. This is not the same thing as a food intolerance (sometimes called a food sensitivity) or an autoimmune disease.
If you suspect you have a food allergy, ask your healthcare provider/main MD to refer you to an allergist for allergy testing where blood tests and/or a skin prick test can be ordered to determine if you have an allergy. Know that tests are not 100% accurate, but are still a good diagnostic tool.
A “true” food allergy is IgE mediated, and the immune system usually elicits a reaction within immediate ingestion to four hours. Outside of that window, it’s usually suspected that you have a food intolerance. In addition to immunoglobulin e, there are 4 other Igs that play a role in food intolerance and histamine reactions.
There are some types of allergenic diseases that are “true” food allergies and the reactions happen outside of the four hour window. Additionally, a person can have a more rare or complex case and suffer from delayed reactions (which can still be “true” food allergies).
In some patients, they have what’s called contact or airborne allergies as well. This tends to be more common in those with peanut and tree nut allergies. It’s incredibly rare in those with a celery allergy. In their case, a reaction can be triggered by touching the food or through inhalation of its particles (like when cooking).
Food allergies can be life threatening and should always be taken seriously. Work with your allergist and healthcare providers to create an action plan that will meet your needs.
Celery Allergy Symptoms
Food allergy reactions can vary among patients, as no two people are the same. Some allergy symptoms of a celery allergy include:
- Swelling of the Lips
- Swelling of the Tongue
- Swelling of the Throat
- Itchy Mouth and/or Throat
- Tingling of the Mouth, Lips, or Throat
- Shortness of Breath
- Difficulty Breathing or Asthma Symptoms
- Wheezing
- Skin Rash and/or Severe Redness of the Skin
- Itching
- Hives
- Racing Heart Rate
- Decreased Blood Pressure
- Impending Doom/Dread
- Dizziness
- Fainting/Loss of Consciousness
- Severe Stomach Pain
- GI Distress or Abdominal Pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting (including projectile vomiting)
- Diarrhea
- Blood in Stool
These symptoms are more the more severe symptoms of the allergic reaction spectrum, and can indicate anaphylaxis. It’s critical that if you see these celery allergy symptoms you recognize that this is a medical emergency and you need to seek immediate medical help.
If you have a known allergy, follow your action plan including the use of an epipen if you have one, or prescribed antihistamines.
Milder reactions can include a persistent cough, runny nose and/or sneezing, eczema, and more. However, milder symptoms don’t mean you should let your guard down, or take your allergy less seriously.
Three Critical Points
There are hundreds of symptoms a person can experience during an allergic reaction, but it’s important to know three things about celery allergy symptoms and allergic reactions:
- Not every reaction is anaphylaxis. People can have a “non-traditional” celery allergy reaction to food (or have mild symptoms) and still be allergic to celery.
- Should a person experience anaphylaxis, or you see signs of anaphylaxis, it’s important to seek immediate medical treatment (use your epinephrine auto-injector if you have one). When left untreated, anaphylaxis can lead to anaphylactic shock, which can cause death.
- Previous allergic reactions don’t predict future reactions (or the severity of future reactions). In some patients, continued exposure to known allergens can cause more severe reactions each time. This is why strict avoidance of allergens is so important.
A child may talk about a food allergy differently than adults. Many children will say things like “my mouth is spicy” or “there’s a frog in my throat”. They’re trying to express what the reactions feel like to them with language or experiences that are familiar to them. Always take note of these types of statements from a child, as they can indicate a serious medical situation. If needed, don’t hesitate to seek medical treatment, and be sure to ask your doctor for a referral to an allergy specialist.
You May be Asked to Do an Oral Food Challenge
A food challenge, sometimes called an oral challenge, is when an allergy patient eats a food they’ve tested as allergic to, or for a food where the results were inconclusive, under the supervision of their doctor and/or medical team. The goal of the challenge is to confirm the positive results or to determine if the patient isn’t allergic to the food.
There are several steps involved with a proper oral food challenge, including raising the patient’s heart rate to make sure a reaction doesn’t happen. If you’ve been tested for a celery allergy, or other food allergy, you may be offered an in-office oral food challenge to ensure the test results are accurate. A lot of people wonder, is this a good idea, or a really bad idea.
Honestly, it depends. Let’s say you had a severe reaction to celery in the last year, and that’s what prompted you to get tested. Since a reaction is already known, in that case, an oral food challenge would be a bad idea. On the flip side, let’s say you were diagnosed with a carrot or parsley allergy after a panel was run alongside other foods.
Perhaps your allergist was concerned about potential reactions to other members of the plant family due to your unique medical history, and feels it’s in your best interest to challenge related foods. In that case, an oral food challenge could be very helpful.
How Challenges Can Help
Food challenges are also used to confirm if someone has outgrown an allergy (this is a lot more common in kids). For some kids, they’re diagnosed at an early age with really high numbers on their test results and the food(s) will be avoided for years.
During a checkup, their allergist may note that their numbers have decreased dramatically, and it would be safe to do a food challenge. Many food allergy parents are understandably nervous, and some choose to move forward with the challenge whilst others decide they’ll continue to avoid the food(s).
In some cases, an allergic individual may not be offered an oral food challenge by their allergist, even with a reduction in numbers, and that’s because of other contributing factors (including a history of severe allergic reactions).
Know that food challenges are completely voluntary, and you don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable doing, nor do you have to subject your children to them. At the end of the day, do what’s best for you and your children.
Major Allergens
Top allergens, also called priority allergens and major allergens is related to not only the allergy diagnosis rate, but also food labeling laws. The top allergens in each country indicate the foods that are responsible for the most medical emergencies and reactions.
Regulating bodies in each country will also have laws on how these ingredients must be called out on food packages and in restaurants.
US Top 9 Allergens
Here in the United States, the Top 9 Major Food Allergens are:
EU Top 14 Allergens
EU Member States along with a few other select countries recognize these foods as the top 14:
- Celery
- Cereals Containing Gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats)
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin
- Milk
- Molluscs
- Mustard
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Soybean
- Nuts
- Added Sulfite above 10mg/KG.
The UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Macedonia, and Ukraine also use these top 14 allergens, but each country will have its own laws and regulations for labeling and so on.
Interestingly, the EU legislation is the only one that requires non-prepackaged foods to follow the law across the board. In other countries, such as the United States, this varies state by state. It means that dining out in the EU will be easier, in theory.
Contains & May Contain Statements
Foods containing major allergens are legally required to disclose this information. If you’re in a top 14 nation, you’ll see celery in the ingredient list and it will either be called out in bold, or in a contains statement.
A contains statement looks like this: Contains: Celery, Sesame, Milk.
If you’re in a country where celery isn’t a major allergen, it will not be called out on the label, and may be present in terms such as “natural flavors”, so always do your due diligence.
A May Contain statement isn’t a legal requirement in all countries. Sometimes it’s voluntary, and other times, it’s required. You’ll need to know your country’s regulations so you know what to expect on labels.
This statement refers to the manufacturing equipment and/or facility. If something is in the may contain statement, it means the food was made on shared equipment with the allergen, or in a shared space.
Each product will be different, so again, do your due diligence. In countries where the statement is voluntary, if you don’t see the statement, that doesn’t mean the allergen isn’t present. It means the company doesn’t use may contains statements and you’ll need to contact them for complete details.
How to Shop for Food When Managing a Celery Allergy
Depending on where you live, shopping for for food with a celery allergy is going to be pretty easy, or feel like a nightmare. In countries that recognize the EU top 14 allergens, spotting celery in foods will be on the easy side.
A few other countries recognize celery as a top allergen including Bangladesh, Belarus, Russia, and Turkey.
Outside of these countries, you’re going to have to call before purchasing premade foods. There are only a few exceptions where you won’t find celery, and it’s usually going to be in baked goods, tortillas, packaged snacks, and sweet treats. However, that’s off the table if a brand uses natural flavours.
Celery can hide in a lot of foods, which I’ll cover below.
Now, if you’re living in the land of Top 14, celery will be listed in a contains statement, or called out. It must be declared, even if it’s part of a sub ingredient such as a broth. Make sure you know the regulations in your country regarding ingredients such as natural flavors.
The one thing you’ll want to know about yourself when it comes to shopping is if you can tolerate traces of celery in your food. About 30% of people with food allergies are unable to eat foods that have been made on shared equipment with what they’re allergic to due to these traces of allergens.
No matter what country you reside in, if shared equipment is an issue, you need to contact companies before purchasing items. The nice thing is, celery has a narrow scope of use, so there’s a great chance you’ll be finding all sorts of delicious products to enjoy.
Celery Labeling Information
Most regulating bodies require food companies to use plain language on the food labels (this is especially helpful with an egg allergy which we can talk about another time). What this means is that in the ingredient statement, you won’t see “Apium graveolens” on the label (the scientific name for celery) but instead you’ll see “celery” or “celery seed” or something along those lines.
Celery oil and celery seed extract has some use in bath, body, and cosmetic products. You’ll want to contact brands if you manage a contact allergy, or have concerns about applying celery to your skin.
Celery Free Diet Types
There are a few diet types that are free from celery:
- Latex Free Diet
- Low FODMAP
- Low/No Oxalate (celery is on the moderate to high side)
You’ll be able to find recipes online for these three diet types. The low FODMAP diet type will have a small amount of commercial products available.
If you manage a celery allergy, along with other dietary restrictions, be sure to check out the Advanced Recipe Search on RAISE. You can mix and match over 100 filters for food allergens, food families, special diets, and much more.
Oral Allergy Syndrome Connection
Oral allergy syndrome, now called pollen food allergy syndrome, is a special type of food allergy. As the name implies, the allergy symptoms happen in the mouth (oral). In easy to understand terms, here’s how it works:
A person allergic to a specific pollen must avoid a specific list of foods because the proteins in said foods “look similar enough to the pollen” to their immune system that it causes a reaction.
This is known as cross-reactivity, and you can do a deep dive on that term to learn more. Also know that not every person with pollen allergies manages OAS.
In almost every OAS/PFAS patient, all allergic reactions occur above the collar bone, and mainly in the mouth and throat. In some rare cases, the reaction happens outside of this scope, but it’s still OAS.
Many OAS/PFAS patients are able to tolerate the cross-reactive foods if they’re well cooked first, as this denatures the protein so their immune system can “clearly see” that this isn’t the pollen, but something else.
There are five major pollens at play where OAS is concerned: Alder Pollen, Birch Pollen, Grass Pollen, Mugwort Pollen, and Ragweed Pollen.
In the case of celery, it’s cross-reactive with alder, birch, grass, and mugwort (so all but ragweed). However, it’s most cross reactive with birch and mugwort, which is why the term birch-mugwort-celery-syndrome is a term some doctors and researchers use.
If you’d like to read more about OAS and see cross-reactive fruits and vegetables, check out this article here on my website.
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Latex Allergy Connection
Many patients with a latex allergy have to eliminate foods that are cross reactive with latex. Foods all into three categories: low cross reactivity, moderate cross reactivity, and high cross reactivity.
Celery falls into the moderate cross reactive category. If you manage a latex allergy, and need to eliminate moderate and high cross reactive foods, celery is off the menu until your medical team can help you determine which foods might be good for an oral challenge.
Spice Allergy Connection
Evidence has shown an association between carrot, celery, and spices where an allergy is concerned. Some celery allergy patients can develop allergies to the spices in the Apiaceae family:
- Anise
- Asafoetida (popular in Indian cooking, and an amazing allium free onion alternative)
- Caraway
- Chervil
- Coriander (cilantro)
- Cumin
- Dill
- Lovage
- Parsley
- Pepper
Some patients have also developed a reaction to bell pepper as well, however, that’s from a different family.
Different Names for Celery
Different forms of celery can have different names, and you may see them on food packages. These are the names to be aware of:
- Celery
- Celery Juice
- Celery Powder
- Celery Seed (technically, celery seeds are a very small fruit, but that’s semantics)
- Celeriac
- Leaf Celery (also called Chinese Celery and Nan Ling Celery)
- Stalk Celery
Edible Parts of Celery
- Celery Hearts (refers to the tender shoots in the center of celery)
- Celery Juice
- Celery Leaves
- Celery Root
- Celery Seeds
- Celery Stalks
Celery Free Product Recommendations (to purchase)
Here are a few products that usually contain celery, but are celery free. As always, do your due diligence and ensure that this information is still accurate. Shopping Tip: Anytime you see “flavor” or “spices”, assume celery was involved until you learn otherwise. That includes things like “smoke flavor” or “natural flavor”.
- Bacon Without Celery: Northstar Bison (under the pork section of the menu)
- Basic Beef Broth Without Celery: Olsen Farms (only available in Washington state, but you might be able to get it shipped, but this is the kind of product to look for)
- Celery Free Beef Broth: Fond Pure & Unflavored
- BBQ Sauce, Celery Free: The Date Lady
- Celery Free Chicken Broth: Fond Pure & Unflavored
- Celery Free Ketchup: Meridian Organic Tomato Ketchup
- Celery Free Marmite: Meridian Yeast Extract
- Golden Tomato Celery Free Pasta Sauce: Lucini (made with yellow tomatoes instead of red tomatoes)
- Celery Free Tomato Based Pasta Sauce: Seggiano
- Celery Free Pancetta: North County Smokehouse (use this in place of deli meat, pepperoni, etc. they use beet instead of celery)
- Copycat Old Bay Seasoning: The Kitchin has a recipe, and you can customize it for your needs.
- Stock Cubes Without Celery: Marigold Organic Yeast Free Stock Cubes (this product only, their powders contain celery)
- Celery Free Worcestershire Sauce: Urban Platter (company confirmed in writing that it’s celery free, also take note of may contain statement).
No matter where you live, visit amazon.co.uk, and type in “top 14 free + product name”. This can sometimes give you a head start on brands that make celery free products, and you may be able to get them where you live. Don’t trust the labels/images, but instead look up a brand name once you’ve found it. Use the post code “CR2 6XH” if needed, or use a browser where you’re not logged into Amazon.
Alternatively do a web search, but tell the search engine to give you UK results, or add the term UK to the search term. You can also browse major grocery store websites from the UK and search for allergy friendly products (Aldi, Tesco, and Morrisons).
Remember, always double check the brand’s website directly for ingredients and current allergen information, as I’ve personally seen online third party websites get it very wrong.
Celery Allergy: List of Foods to Avoid
When you’re managing a celery allergy, know that there are foods that naturally contain celery products. When you see these food products, you’ll know right away that celery allergens are present.
- Bloody Mary (common in the spice mix, and also served raw with the drink)
- Celery Salt
- Holy Trinity (a term in Cajun cuisine that’s a combo of celery, onions, and bell peppers)
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Mirepoix (combination of carrots, celery, and onion)
- Sofrito (also spelled soffritto, Italian cuisine term for carrot, onions, and celery)
- Waldorf Salad
Hidden Sources of Celery: List of Foods That Can Contain Celery & Celery Seed
This is not an exhaustive list. Celery is used in a wide range of applications, especially in savory foods.
You usually won’t find celery in baked goods, tortillas, packaged snacks, and sweet treats. However, is the brand uses natural flavors, celery may be present.
Just because a product type is on this list doesn’t guarantee the presence of celery (or the opposite). It means that you need to really, really, really read ingredient labels carefully in non-top 14 countries.
- Bacon (usually as celery juice)
- Bouillon
- Broths & Stocks
- Chips (as part of the flavoring agents)
- Cold Pressed Green Juices
- Cured Meats
- Fried Foods (in the batter)
- Ketchup
- Marmite (the natural flavouring contains celery)
- Meat Marinades
- Natural Flavors
- Pasta Sauce
- Pepperoni & Sausages (not always, but it can be present)
- Pizza Sauce
- Salad Dressings
- Salads (celery seed as a topping)
- Sauces
- Spice Mixtures (also called spice blends)
- Spice Rubs (spices for BBQ and other meats)
- Soups
- Stews
- Stock Cubes (also called Bouillon Cubes)
- Supplements (especially vitamins with a “vegetable blend” added to boost the nutritional value)
- Vegetable Juice
Broth & Sock Warning
I can’t stress the importance of understanding the prevalence of celery in critical foundational foods such as broth and stock. If you look at a restaurant that serves soup, stew, pasta, and more, there’s a good chance that their celery containing broth is used in a lot of their menu items.
When dining out, you need to ask about this specifically, not just “is there celery in XYZ”. It’s very easy for food service workers to forget these small details.
Natural Flavors Warning
In countries where celery is recognized as a major allergen, natural flavors containing celery must be called out. It will say something like “Natural Flavour (with celery)”.
In all other countries, the only way to get this information is to call the company and request the details. Explain that you have a celery allergy and you need to know about each of the ingredients in their natural flavours (this term encompasses thousands of individual ingredients and compounds).
Some brands will say things like “it’s proprietary”. If you run into that, walk away. Brands that can’t be transparent don’t deserve our support.
Eating Out at Restaurants with a Celery Allergy
In Europe, within the countries that recognize the top 14 allergens, eating out at restaurants will be very manageable. Now, this doesn’t mean that cross-contact with celery isn’t present, but there’s a lot more traceability. You’ll be able to ask about allergen information and get quick info from restaurant staff and chefs.
However, just because you can get the information doesn’t mean the restaurant is a good fit for you. If there’s high potential for cross-contact, you’ll want to dine elsewhere.
Countries That Aren’t Top 14
If you’d like to eat at a restaurant whilst managing a celery allergy, you’ll have to do a lot of investigating before choosing to dine out.
The absolute safest option will be an expensive farm-to-table restaurant directly on a farm where everything is made from scratch. In those environments, they control a lot, and have so much control over the ingredients and can accommodate those with food allergies.
Outside of that, there isn’t a single cuisine that will be naturally celery free. Paleo restaurants might be able to serve you a little easier, but celery via spices will be pretty present.
Steak houses are another good option, as they might be able to season a basic piece of meat with salt and cook it in a clean pan. I’d be on the lookout for restaurants that advertise clean ingredients, and organic ingredients. That’s not to say they don’t use celery, but your chance of success is simply higher.
I’d suggest avoiding high-end restaurants that have rotating seasonal dishes that frequently change. Whilst they can make some minor adjustments, they really aren’t able to accommodate food allergy folks as easily since the ingredients are pretty set and the menu isn’t very flexible.
Cross Contact and Cross Contamination
Cross-contact and cross-contamination are not the same thing. When talking with food professionals, it’s important that you use the correct terminology. Cross-contamination refers to pathogens, and cross-contact refers to allergens.
Please read the article on this page to learn more about cross-contact, and how you can work towards preventing it.
Celery Substitutes & Celery Alternatives
For home cooking, choosing a good substitute is going to vary by recipe, but here are some good ideas to get you started. If you’d like more awesome ideas, check out this article on Celery Substitutes.
For aromatics, garlic, ginger, and fennel are going to be great ingredients to explore.
Celery seed can be replaced by dill seeds, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds. You’ll want to use a 1:1 ratio. These seeds will bring different flavour notes to your dishes, but not in a bad way. If you’re new to these spices, I recommend making a 1/4 batch of your recipe to start, that way, you know if you like the swap, without risking a huge amount of food waste.
In a recipe where celery is used raw and it’s providing a crunchy element, romaine stems, sliced baby bok choy stem, and jicama slices can all provide that same quality. The taste will be different (I don’t want to mislead you), but different doesn’t mean bad.
Depending on the recipe, one of the best tips I can give you is this: skip the celery and move on with your life. It’s rare that a recipe made without celery screams “call emergency services because the celery is missing and the recipe is ruined”. Celery doesn’t hold that kind of weight or volume in most recipes, and unless this is an old family favourite that you grew up on, there’s a really good chance you won’t even miss it.
Answering Your Celery Allergy Questions
If I have a celery allergy, should I avoid any other vegetables?
You’ll want to work with your allergist and talk about cross reactivity. On the surface, if someone is ONLY allergic to celery, then no, you don’t need to avoid other vegetables.
However, if you have other medical conditions, manage seasonal allergies (and might have OAS), or have test results that imply you may be more prone to cross reactivity, you may need to avoid other vegetables.
You’ll want to work with your medical team, as they can order allergy tests (blood tests and skin prick tests), supervise an oral challenge, and give you great guidance based on your case history and test results. During this time, make sure you’re keeping a detailed food journal, that way, should symptoms develop, you’ll know what you’ve eaten.
I have onion and celery allergies. How can I add good flavor to food when cooking?
This is a great question. The good news is that there are fantastic ways to bring in flavor without onion and celery. First, look into cuisines that really pack a punch. Middle Eastern cuisine is a great example.
You can also lean into very spicy foods and explore recipes where all sorts of peppers are the star. From there, you’ll want to make sure you cook with fat, salt, and acid. These three components can do SO much for you. I really like this brand for vinegar, as they have so many to choose from, and each one brings a different flavour to the table.
The best advice I can give you is to lean into ingredients such as fennel bulbs, shallots (in the allium family but not onions), garlic, ramps, liquid smoke, smoked salt, artisanal cheese (France has great selections), and fresh herbs. These are all ingredients that are going to help elevate your recipes, without the allergens.
Is a celery intolerance the same thing as a celery allergy?
No, an allergy and an intolerance are two different medical conditions that have different pathways that elicit the responses. However, both will have the same approach in avoidance where celery is concerned.
For your overall health, well-being, and safety, you’ll want to make sure your meals are free from celery, celery seed, and all verities of celery.
If you have a food intolerance, talk with your doctor about the consumption of celery via the form of natural flavours. You may not need to avoid celery down to that level since it isn’t an allergy.
Does tomato juice contain celery?
There are two main types of tomato juice in the world: pure tomato juice, and tomato juice blends.
Pure tomato juice will usually be tomatoes and water. Some brands include sea salt and lemon juice, but most organic brands sell a pure tomato product.
A tomato juice blend, such as V8, will usually contain celery (along with several other vegetables).
How can I avoid accidental exposure to celery?
The first big thing to do is to avoid foods that contain celery and all forms of celery. From there, you can talk with food manufacturers before purchasing products to confirm celery isn’t made on the same line as their product.
If you’re concerned about accidental exposure when eating out at restaurants, you’ll want to talk with an establishment in advance, extensively. If celery is an ingredient in their stock or broth, know that a lot of menu items will be contaminated. The restaurant should have a list of ingredients for each product. You’ll want to avoid anything that contains natural flavors.cross-contact is before eating there.
Unfortunately, there’s no 100% way to avoid every risk, unless you grow your own food and make everything at home. Even allergy friendly and free-from brands have the occasional food recall due to undeclared allergens because somewhere in their supply chain, a mistake was made.
What you can do however is be prepared. Make sure you have an action plan for your food allergy and know what to do if you have an allergic response. Also make sure that those in your family know how to treat an allergic response and how to advocate for you if necessary.
When you’re new to food allergy management, everything is going to feel BIG. Every small choice will feel HUGE. However, over time, you’ll find your groove and be a shopping pro, cooking pro, and totally starting to thrive and live your best life.
Is there a treatment or cure for a celery allergy or food allergies?
There is no cure for food allergies, but food allergy research is progressing each day and learning more about how the immune system works. We may see a cure in the future, but for now, the only approved medical treatment at the time of this writing is called Oral Immunotherapy (OIT).
OIT is never guaranteed to work. In fact, when someone passes, we say they’re “in remission”, not “cured”, as there are no cures for food allergies. Know that results vary from one individual to the next because this is all a science of the immune system. Since no two people are the same, it’s impossible to predict 100% of the time how individuals will respond to OIT.
During treatment, patients ingest small amounts of what they’re allergic to. Some start at less than a 1 gram dose, and for reference, an ounce is 28 grams. This is done in hopes of having the immune system build tolerance. Some patients do well with this therapy and some patients never get past the first dose because of how sensitive they are to the allergen.
One the thing about OIT that people don’t talk about enough is that just how you can gain tolerance, you can lose it as well. I’ve also met people in this boat where they passed OIT, then a few years later woke up one day and had a severe allergic reaction.
Additionally, those with EOE have a higher risk of developing more issues if they undergo OIT. This type of science is, in my opinion, poorly understood, and all you can do is do your best and work with the knowledge you have and the guidance your medical team provides.
When it comes to OIT, really assess what it can do for you, and what your goals are. If the risk seems worth it, as an adult, I say go for it. If you’re managing a child, it’s different because of consent.
It’s really important that children give fully informed consent before you introduce known food allergens to their system (something a lot of parents overlook). This is doubly true if your child has a complex case.
Think of it this way: would YOU want something done TO you, or WITH you? There’s a big difference in those two scenarios.
