How Much Do You Know About Food Allergy and Celiac?
(Information from foodallergy.org and livingwithout.com)
1.) How does food allergy differ from food intolerance?
a) Food intolerance does not involve the immune system
b) Food intolerance is not life threatening
c) Food intolerance is not real
d) Food intolerance is not serious
Answer: a & b – symptoms may include abdominal cramps, bloating, and diarrhea
2.) Food allergy occurs when . . .
a) The immune system mistakenly attacks a food protein
b) The immune system mistakenly attacks a pollen grain
c) The immune system goes haywire
d) The immune system is working properly
Answer: a
3.) What are the top eight food allergies in America?
a) Milk, soy, egg, wheat, chocolate, treenut, fish, and pears
b) Milk, soy, egg, broccoli, peanut, treenut, seafood, & peas
c) Milk, soy, egg, wheat, peanut, treenut, fish, and shellfish
d) Milk, clams, fish, peanut, sunflower, palm, coconut & nuts
Answer: milk, soy, egg, wheat, peanut, treenut, fish, & shellfish. Canada’s are the same with the addition of sesame and sulfites.
4.) Approximately how many Americans suffer from food allergies?
a) 5 million
b) 12 million
c) 20 million
d) 30 million
Answer: b) 12 million, or 4% of the population, which includes one in 17 children ages three and under
5.) What are the top five causes of anaphylaxis?
a) Food, drugs, alcohol, and gluten
b) Food, medication, latex, and chemicals
c) Medication, latex, insect stings, and alcohol
d) Food, medication, insect stings, and latex
Answer: d)
6.) How long after ingestion of an allergen can anaphylaxis occur?
a) 2 minutes to 5 minutes
b) 2 minutes to 30 minutes
c) 2 minutes to 2 hours
d) 2 minutes to 2 days
Answer: c)
7.) What are the symptoms of anaphylaxis?
a) Tingling sensation, itching, metallic taste in the mouth
b) Hives, sensation of warmth,
c) Wheezing, difficulty breathing, coughing
d) Vomiting, diarrhea, cramping
Answer: All of the above are potential symptoms, which if untreated can lead to drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and possibly death
8.) Celiac disease is an intolerance to . . .
a) Gluten
b) Wheat
c) Rice
d) Corn
Answer: a) gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye
9.) Celiac Disease affects how many people in the US?
a) 1 in 10
b) 1 in 100
c) 1 in 1,000
d) 1 in 10,00
Answer: b) 1 in 100, most of which are undiagnosed
10.) What are some symptoms of celiac disease?
a) Vitamin deficiency, migraine, anemia
b) Stomach cramps, bloating, weight gain
c) Chronic fatigue, depression, weight loss
d) Bone and joint pain, diarrhea, infertility
Answer: All of the above are possible symptoms, though celiac disease is often silent and symptomless, causing damage with no visible signs.
I am selling teal ribbons for $1 each to help raise money for our family to walk with the Illinois Valley Food Allergy Support Team in the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy in Chicago on October 17th. Please see me if you’d like to purchase one to help support our team and show your support for and awareness of food allergies. More information about our team will follow in a future article. Thank you, Jen Lane
