O/T Bad Romance: Kissing Can Cause Severe Allergic Reactions

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Bad Romance: Kissing Can Cause Severe Allergic Reactions

By son- Nov 15th 2010 12:38PM

Categories: News

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The next time you seal your love with a kiss, make sure your special someone

doesn't have serious food allergies.

Experts from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) say

that kissing and other intimate contact can trigger an allergic reaction to

those with acute sensitivities to things like eggs, dairy and nuts.

That's because allergens can linger in a person's saliva for four to six hours

after consumption, and sometimes longer -- even up to a full day. So if the

apple of your eye has recently eaten something you're allergic to, it may almost

feel as though you've bitten into the forbidden food yourself.

" If you have a history of significant or life threatening reactions to foods,

you might have exposure by intimate contact like kissing, and an allergic

reaction could occur, " Dr. Cliff Bassett, an ACAAI board member, told AOL

Health.

Though such reactions are fairly rare, they can and do occur. Bassett, the

medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, said one of his

egg-allergy patients has attacks when he kisses his girlfriend if she's recently

eaten eggs -- even after she brushes her teeth.

" Most people don't think it's a major issue. They brush their teeth. They don't

think it's real, " Bassett said. " They need to educate their family members,

their lovers, their girlfriends or boyfriends, about refraining from those foods

if they're going to have any oral contact. The cause and effect can be deadly. "

More than 7 million Americans have food allergies, according to the ACAAI. About

5 to 7 percent of them are children and 2 to 3 percent are adults.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction are rash, hives, lip and tongue swelling,

itchiness, wheezing, trouble breathing and swelling of the throat.

Romantic kissing and other intimate contact like sexual intercourse are

particularly risky, but even a peck on the cheek may be a problem for those with

serious allergies, according to ACAAI President Dr. Sami Bahna.

" We're talking about those few whose immune system can react vigorously to a

minute amount of allergen, " Bahna, chief of allergy and immunology at Louisiana

State University Medical School, told HealthDay. " For these people, yes, a very

little quantity of food or medicine on the lips or the mouth or the saliva can

cause a problem. And for these people we're not just talking about a passionate

kiss. Even a non-passionate kiss on the cheek or the forehead can cause a severe

reaction. "

Sometimes the attack strikes hours after the allergic person's partner has eaten

the dangerous food because the saliva continues to excrete the allergen in

question.

Bahna recommends that people who are highly sensitive to certain foods or

medications have their partners refrain from ingesting the substance for 16 to

24 hours before kissing or engaging in other intimate contact.

Though brushing the teeth and rinsing out the mouth can help, the risk is still

there.

" I do not want this discussion to cause all people with allergies to live in

fear, " said Bahna. " It depends on the particular sensitivity of the immune

system. ... Most people get a mild reaction from an allergen. So if your

girlfriend or your wife is not very allergic to peanuts, for example, she will

not be affected by a kiss from a person who ate peanuts. "

And though planning what you eat and when you kiss may sound unromantic, Bassett

said it's crucial for avoiding trips to the emergency room.

" It's probably not great for romance, but surviving a food-related event is even

more important, " he said.