Determining the cause of allergy is tricky

Dear Dr. Donya, I am 31-year-old women with sons aged 3 years and 2 months. All my life I have never had allergic reactions to shrimp, crab and other sea food. My allergies are only from alcohol. When I drink alcohol, my body suddenly produces red blotches (like kaligata, or biduran).

I also get similar red blotches when the climate is very hot, but usually I get over it by taking showers more often, like three to four times a day.

When I was six to eight months pregnant with my second child, again I had this allergy, but only in some areas like my elbow and legs. Many people say that it is only because of the pregnancy, the hormonal things, etc. True, it was all gone after 8.5 months of pregnancy. But then it came again just three days after I delivered the baby. This time it affected my whole body.

But since I was still in hospital, I got this oradexon injection and everything was OK. Around one month after my baby was born, again I had the allergies but only in a small area near my knee. I took some tablets of claritin and it helped. I took showers more frequently.

Why does my allergy relapse? Does it have to do with my pregnancy? Do I have to check with a doctor what causes the allergy? Could it be that the allergy affects people above 30? Or can stress be a cause?

Thank you.

--Carmen

Dear Carmen,

The skin reaction that you described is like a heat rash. Another possible cause is allergic dermatitis, which happens around the sweat area and moist tissue. What you have to do is observe what is related to the symptoms, stress can be the one common cause of rash but most of the time it is difficult to tell what causes your allergic reaction.

Of course you can be allergic to something even if you have no history of it occurring before.

It is difficult to tell you what causes your allergy. Allergies can effect the body in severe form, such as anaphylaxis, which is life threatening. If you believe that you have a food allergy, it's important to be evaluated carefully by a doctor.

If you encounter an unpleasant reaction after eating certain foods, like hives, itching, swelling or have trouble breathing, you may have a food allergy. Then again, you might not.

If you experience worsening symptoms every time you eat a certain food, see your doctor or allergist. If possible, see your physician when the allergic reaction is occurring. This will aid in making a diagnosis.

Emergency treatment is needed immediately if you develop any symptoms of anaphylactic shock.

-- Dr. Donya