Tomato allergies are NOT unheard of, and are one of the few food allergies that can and do kill. They are, thankfully, rare. I have one that has put me into intensive care more than 20 times in my lifetime -- luckily, my children and grandchildren did not inherit it.
If you have a child who seems to be allergic to tomatoes, get them checked by a competent allergist, and do it NOW. Tomatoes are part of the "deadly nightshade" family of plants (like eggplant, tobacco, foxglove, and even potatoes), and if your child has a severe form of the allergy, they can be affected by other foods as well. For instance, I can eat (but not peel) potatoes if all the skin is removed. But chips fried with the skin on will send me into a severe reaction. Tobacco smoke doesn?t bother me if I?m outdoors, but if I handle clothing or paper products that have been in a smoke-filled room, I get quite sick.
Tomato seeds, skin, and fresh tomato juice are the worst offenders for those with tomato allergies. And, yes, it is possible to eat processed foods made with tomato (canned soups, frozen pizza, etc., which are often made with tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes) with a minimal reaction, but have a severe, life-threatening reaction to fresh tomatoes.
People with severe reactions to tomatoes may also have fatal reactions to drugs (even synthetic drugs) that are commonly used to treat heart disease and heart attacks, including digitalis, digoxin, and some other drugs that may be given in trauma centers. Again, get your child tested if you suspect a tomato allergy, and have them wear a medic alert bracelet if they test positive for this allergy.
The good news is that, by reading labels carefully and avoiding fresh produce, it?s possible to live a full and complete life while avoiding the potentially deadly effects of a tomato allergy.
All except three of the reactions I?ve had in my lifetime were due to careless accidents ? a child who dropped a pizza slice made with fresh veggies onto my arm in an airport, a fast-food restaurant where a careless worker put a tomato down on top of a sandwich before remembering the order ?no tomatoes?, then pulled it off leaving behind several seeds and a small amount of juice, etc. The other three reactions were the first (my mother fed me fresh tomatoes when I was an infant, before they knew about my allergy), and two accidents in which my infant granddaughter (who took the drug digoxin for a congenital heart defect) did what babies do and spit her medicine in my face.
Most of the time I get along fine without tomatoes, but I was horrified to read this thread of messages which basically said that a tomato allergy is nothing to worry about. It is definitely one of the most deadly allergies possible, and while rare, is a serious medical condition that should be tested for anytime a parent suspects a problem.
Note that this allergy can get worse over time ? what appears to be a mild allergy (skin rash, tingling in the tongue, etc.) can become more series as the sensitivity to the allergens in tomatoes (and eggplant, and potato skins, and all the other relatives of the tomato family) gets worse. For a rundown on nightshade family plants, visit: waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph21.htm