Fruit Allergy

[Anna2012]

Hello

I suffer mildly from a tree pollen allergy which I treat satisfactorily with antihistamine. Approximately 7 years ago (I am 45 now) I started to have an allergic reaction to the skin on some fruits some of the time eg, apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, cherries, plums. I am not always allergic to the skins of these fruits but perhaps in 90% of cases. Again, I treat this with antihistamine after the event quite satisfactorily. When I suffer an allergic reaction, my lips and mouth feel swollen and I can feel a burning sensation down my throat. I know this is not caused by pesticides or detergent as it has happened with home grown fruit.

Are you able to give me any explanation of this allergy and what causes the reaction, or whether it can develop into something more significant? I have never felt it significant enough to discuss with a GP.

Thank and regards

[Dr Adam Fox]

HI
what you are describing is Oral Allergy Syndrome - it is pretty common and is the result of a crossreaction between the birch pollen you are allergic to and the protein found in the fruit you mention. In short, when you eat these fruit, your immune system things you have taken a mouthful of pollen and you react accordingly. The reactions are usually mild and is the fruit/vegetable is cooked or processed you will usually not react. For more info on this , check out the wikipedia article on it.