Egg Allergy

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What is Egg Allergy?

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Food allergies can have effects at several different sites in the body, including the mouth, throat, lungs, skin and gastrointestinal tract. Often more than one site in the body is affected at the same time, and the reaction can be generalised, such as anaphylactic shock.

Who gets Egg Allergy?

Egg allergy is most common in infants and small children, with up to 1 in 20 children developing a (transient) allergy to egg. Fortunately, up to 80% of children with egg allergy will grow out of the allergy before they start school.

Predisposing Factors

As with most allergies, children with a family or personal history of allergic disease are more likely to develop egg allergy.

Progression

Most children with egg allergy experience their first reaction between 6 and 15 months of age when they are given egg for the first time, often as scrambled egg or custard. Prior to this, exposure to small amounts of egg (during the pregnancy, via breast milk and in other foods) has lead to sensitisation to egg and egg products.

Common reactions to egg include skin reactions such as hives and eczema. There have been reports of more serious reactions in patients with egg allergy, however anaphylaxis is rare in comparison to other food allergies such as peanut allergy.

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