Anybody can experience sudden egg intolerance if eggs make up their diet.
Egg intolerance and egg allergies often go hand in hand. An egg allergy is an immune system response to eggs that is so severe; it can even be fatal.
On the other hand, egg intolerance occurs when the body cannot detoxify a certain part of eggs. This has nothing to do with your immune system.
Most people develop egg intolerance at an early age and may even lose this condition as they get older.
Conversely, other people are fine with eggs early on but could experience sudden egg intolerance.
CAN YOU DEVELOP AN ALLERGY TO EGGS LATER IN LIFE?
Egg allergies, like other food allergies, can arise later in life.
According to this study, several triggers could occur at any point in time. Medications, digestive complications, and other bodily changes could arise unexpectedly.
If you itch or develop skin inflammation, report digestive problems like vomiting, wheeze, shortness of breath, have nasal congestion, anaphylaxis, or start feeling sick after eating eggs, it could be an egg allergy.
The above may begin even in adult life.
HOW DO YOU TREAT AN EGG ALLERGY?
Egg allergy treatment at home mostly involves avoiding eggs and egg products. Be especially careful about hidden sources of eggs.
If the egg intolerance is unknown, you have to conduct an elimination process to know which types of eggs or egg products you can tolerate. Whenever an allergic reaction occurs, you should know that you cannot stand that type of food.
Stock up on antihistamines to relieve egg intolerance symptoms like itching.
Seek medical help for severe allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis (this condition is characterized by shortness of breath, dizziness, and swelling of the throat and can be fatal if untreated). A doctor will give you an injection that you can use in case these reactions start.
FOODS TO AVOID WITH EGG INTOLERANCE
Dietary eggs do not always exist in their purest form. You could be allergic to poached eggs and not boiled eggs because excess heat destroys certain proteins in them.
You may also be allergic to pure eggs and not react adversely to eggs in baked substances. Some people are allergic to raw eggs in ice creams and cake icing but not too cooked products.
Find out where you lie. If your sudden egg intolerance comes from all egg-containing foods, then avoid the following:
Cakes (with and without frosting), ice cream, pastries, and other baked goods, mayo, and salad creams. Canned soups, meatballs, and meatloaf are also made with eggs.
Other foods like puddings and pasta, frostings and meringue, or even pretzels could have them. Watch out for drinks with foam-like cappuccino as they use eggs for that effect.
Overall, be very vigilant about ingredient lists with words like albumin, lysozyme, ovoglobulin, lecithin, vitellin, and lecithin. These are synonyms for egg additives.
10 LITTLE KNOWN CAUSES OF SUDDEN EGG INTOLERANCE
1. DAMAGE TO THE INTESTINAL WALL
Your small intestines have a lining that protects your body from letting in abnormal antigens. Antigens are any foreign body that can trigger an immune response, usually through the formation of antibodies.
If there is a sufficient change in your small intestines’ walls, you may start to absorb food proteins in high amounts.
This could make your body sensitive and thus lead to sudden egg intolerance.
2. A VIRAL INFECTION
If you suddenly become allergic to eggs, it may be because of a virus that triggers the intolerance.
Viral infections like glandular fever (or what is scientifically known as infectious mononucleosis) could trigger an egg allergy in you.
3. INCREASED DOSAGE
It could be that in the past, you were egg tolerant because of the dosages you were subjected to.
According to this study, if you are continuously exposed to low dosages of a substance, you become sensitive.
On the other hand, if you are exposed to high dosages of a substance, you will become tolerant.
It may be that you have always been exposed to trace amounts of egg protein throughout your life. When this amount is rapidly increased, you could develop sudden egg intolerance.
4. A COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM
Occasionally, your immune system may revert to a child-like condition.
In such a case, your immune system will view egg proteins as harmful and thus trigger an immune response through histamine.
If a problem has resulted in your immune system cells to cause an overreaction, then the food allergy could develop.
5. GENES
Sometimes allergic eggs may be a familial trait. You may have been intolerant to eggs all along but may simply not have known about it.
It may be that these genes were waiting for a trigger or a certain dosage to manifest. Either way, they may have been dormant and could suddenly be evident in adulthood.
To find out if you have a genetic predisposition, look at your family members and see whether any of them are allergic to eggs.
6. EXERCISE AS A TRIGGER
Exercise can sometimes trigger an egg allergy. This condition is called food-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis.
If you eat an egg, engage in exercise, and then develop allergic symptoms, then your trigger could be two-fold. The eggs are the main cause, while exercise is the secondary one.
7. DRUG-ASSOCIATED ALLERGIES
Have you been taking certain medicines and noticed egg intolerance? It could be a drug-dependent food allergy.
In this research, it was shown that taking certain drugs can make you allergic to certain foods. A common example of this is a salicylate, which is found in aspirin.
8. PRESENCE OF THE DISEASE AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
If your type of egg allergy is the one that comes with eczema, the latter can trigger another food allergy.
Eczema or other allergic reactions may be from non-food allergies. When the skin disease is present, you are likely to have a sudden egg intolerance.
Usually, if eczema clears, the egg allergy itself can also disappear. Very often, this happens when you go to a place with a lot of sunshine.
9. ADDITIVE TRIGGER EFFECTS
If you have been egg tolerant and suddenly develop the condition, it could be that you require multiple allergens to manifest symptoms.
Based on this research, certain patients can tolerate a single type of food when presented individually. However, when they are subjected to numerous allergens, they form allergic responses.
If you have sudden egg intolerance, it could be that you were never in a situation where all possible triggers were present at the same time. It may thus have occurred and pushed your immune system over the edge.
10. A DIFFERENT TYPE OF EGG
Your body may be fine with normal chicken eggs. This is because chicken eggs have specific protein types (like serum albumin) that do not trigger any sudden egg intolerance for you.
However, if you switch to quail eggs, goose, or duck eggs, you may notice an allergic response. The difference could be a result of the different types of proteins contained in various types of eggs.
For such situations, you may simply need to stop taking that respective type of protein.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Anyone can develop sudden egg intolerance. You could have a malfunction in the immune or digestive system.
Sometimes it may be the nature of the eggs you eat or the dosage. In other instances, it could be drugs, exercise, and a combination of triggers.
Manage this condition by avoiding egg and egg-based products.
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