An egg allergy is the second-most common food allergy among children in the United States, second only to a milk allergy. While milk allergies affect more than 2% of children and 2.6% of adults in the US, it’s estimated that up to 2% or more of children have an egg allergy.
The majority of children with an egg allergy outgrow their allergy as they age. In fact, roughly 50% of children with egg allergies outgrow it by age 6, and 70% outgrow it by the time they turn 8. It is rare to maintain or develop an egg allergy beyond the age of 16. However, it’s still possible—the prevalence of egg allergies in the US’s adult population ranges from 0.1 to 0.6%.
What Is an Egg Allergy?
The majority of egg allergy patients are allergic to the proteins found in egg whites, although it’s possible also to be allergic to the proteins found in the yolks. Plus, there is no way to separate yolks from egg whites entirely—traces of egg white can still remain on the yolk and cause painful, frustrating, and even life-threatening reactions for an egg allergy patient if consumed.
Egg whites contain a variety of proteins, five of which are the major allergenic proteins:
- Ovomucoid
- Ovalbumin
- Ovotransferrin
- Lysozyme
- Ovomucin
Egg yolks contain less bothersome proteins, but the one that can cause reactions is the alpha-livetin protein.
When the immune system is sensitive to these proteins, it interprets their presence as an attack on the body. As a result, the immune system triggers a chain of reactions to flush the proteins out of the body as quickly as possible.
Unlike a milk allergy, which may or may not be IgE-mediated, an egg allergy is always IgE-mediated. That means a sensitive immune system signals the production of immunoglobin E (IgE) antibodies, which produce histamine to attack the proteins. Histamine leads to allergy symptoms that can range from mild to life-threateningly severe.
Egg Allergy Symptoms
The release of histamine in the body due to an egg allergy can cause symptoms throughout the body, including:
- Breathing difficulties
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Drops in blood pressure
- Excessive coughing or wheezing
- Excessive sneezing
- Facial swelling
- Fatigue
- Nasal congestion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Rapid heartbeat
- Rashes and hives
- Throat irritation or swelling
- Tingling and swelling in the lips, tongue, and mouth
- Watery or itchy eyes
Like many food allergy patients, egg allergy patients can experience anaphylaxis, the most severe and dangerous level of an allergic reaction. Patients prone to egg-induced anaphylaxis should always carry epinephrine medication (like an EpiPen), be careful what they consume, and have a plan of action in case they do consume a product with eggs. It’s crucial to seek medical attention as soon as possible once anaphylactic symptoms start.
Egg allergy symptoms can appear within minutes after consuming egg. However, in some cases, symptoms can begin hours after eating the allergen.
What Can Trigger an Egg Allergy?
Egg allergy patients whose immune systems are not desensitized to egg proteins yet need to be weary of eggs prepared in every way:
- Raw eggs
- Cooked eggs
- Baked eggs
- Boiled eggs
- Products containing egg
Egg is a sneaky ingredient in many food items. Be careful with common or obvious egg-containing foods, such as:
- Baked goods (cakes, cookies, muffins, brownies, etc.)
- Breaded or battered foods (fried chicken, fried shrimp, fried veggies, etc.)
- Breads and pastas
- Breakfast items (eggs, omelets, French toast, waffles, pancakes, etc.)
- Condiments and sauces (mayonnaise, hollandaise, Caesar salad dressing, etc.)
- Crackers and pretzels
- Custards
- Eggnog
- Soufflés and quiches
Also, be aware of less common or less obvious items like:
- Artificial crab meat
- Consommés and some other soups
- Custard
- Egg substitutes*
- Flavored chips (some)
- Ice creams (some)
- Marshmallows
- Marzipan
- Meatballs or meatloaf
- Meringue
- Protein powders
- Puddings (some)
- Specialty coffees and other drinks with foam
*Egg substitutes may sound like an egg alternative, but some egg substitutes can still include eggs in the form of powdered eggs.
Baked Eggs and Cooked Eggs
As children begin to build a tolerance to eggs and egg products, one step allergists may eventually recommend to parents at the appropriate time is introducing baked goods made with egg to the child.
The eggs in baked goods are exposed to high levels of heat for a prolonged period of time—up to 30 minutes or more. As the proteins are exposed to heat for a while, their structures typically break down and change, a process called denaturing. Once consumed, the immune system may not recognize the protein’s new structure and therefore may not signal any IgE production.
Cooked eggs, although also heated, are typically not exposed to the heat long enough for denaturing to occur. It can take 30+ minutes to bake a cake but only a few minutes to scramble some eggs or make an omelet. As your child continues to outgrow their egg allergy or become more desensitized to eggs, they may eventually begin to tolerate cooked eggs. However, baked eggs are the safer option to begin introducing to your child and ONLY at the recommendation of your child’s allergist.
How to Read a Food Label for Egg Allergies
All FDA-regulated food products must provide allergen information on the packaging, or at least must list out ingredients that indicate the presence of eggs.
The standard now is for food labels to clearly state food allergens by including a line on the package that reads “Contains: X, Y, Z” or “May contain: X, Y, Z” for easy scanning. However, that is not a requirement. Some food labels may only list the allergens in the ingredients list.
When reading an ingredients list on a food label, check for terms like:
- Anything containing the word egg (egg, egg white, egg yolk, egg solids, egg wash, whole egg, dried egg, powdered egg, egg substitute, etc.)
- Albumin
- Apovitellin
- Globulin
- Livetin
- Lysozyme
- Ovalbumin
- Ovoglobulin
- Ovomucin
- Ovomucoid
- Ovotransferrin
- Ovovitelia
- Ovovitellin
- Simplesse
- Vitellin
Do you or your child suffer from an egg allergy? Talk to the team at Langford Allergy for effective allergy care, treatment, and management.
Dr. Langford, Dr. Mathew, and our team of allergy specialists are dedicated to helping egg allergy patients stay safe during mealtime or snack time. Food allergies are frustrating or frightening, but there are treatments and management plans that can help keep you safe and free of reactions.
Schedule an appointment to talk with us about your egg allergy today: 478-787-4728
Langford Allergy delivers allergy, asthma, and immunodeficiency care to patients throughout Middle Georgia, including:
- Bonaire, GA
- Byron, GA
- Forsyth, GA
- Fort Valley, GA
- Gray, GA
- Macon, GA
- Milledgeville, GA
- Perry, GA
- Warner Robins, GA
And other surrounding areas.
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