salicylate allergy

[kbaby]

Hi,
Ive had a constant cough since august last year which my doctor thinks is caused by a salicylate allergy. Im not too convinced.
Before I go searching on the internet does anyone have any info on this is symtoms of the allergy.

Symptoms of any allergy will vary from person to person. Why does your doctor think it is salicylates?

if its an allergy it could be worse when eating certain foods. Salicyclate is in lots of foods so could be hard to tell and an exclusion diet would be very boring. Has your doctor considered other things like asthma or reflux? Do you smoke? Did anything (like infection) trigger it initially? Have you seen a consultant or is this your gp?

Persistent cough can be a symptom of asthma which can be triggered by allergens. Why did your Dr think it was salicylate? Are you taking aspirin? Aspirin contains salicylate and is commonly associated with aggravating asthma.

ate an apple(actually only had one bite) at my mums -it wasnt organic and the skin was tough and immediately my chin started to really itch -i ran for the zirtec it was that bad

ive reaslised that salicilates are probably the reason i dont eat a lot of fruit-im not severely allergic but just enough to not really want to eat it/enjoy it

only just found this out used to think 'whats wrong with me why dont in like fruit?'-glad i know the reason now

good site explaining how allergies work

Pear should be okay - especially tinned.

Sue Dengate's books are good at explaining which foods have high levels of what in them, and how cooking, tinning and ripeness affects these levels.

My son is sensitive to salicylates, but intolerant rather than allergic - with him after a build up we get facial rashes, silly and hyper behaviour and increased bedwetting. As bobbybob has said, Sue Dengate's books are very good and you could also try her excellent website, which has lots of advice for avoiding salicylates, as well as other natural food chemicals: hope this works

Heres the long and boring history.
In aug last year I had a chest infection, the cough never really went and I was left with a dry cough all day. Ive been back and forth to the doctors as some days i cant stop coughing and my chest gets wheezy. The gp did a peak flow and oxygen test which came back fine. He also said that as I dont get out of breath or wheezy all the time it wasnt asthma. He refered me to a ear, nose and throat consultant as I also have had a blocked nose for 3 years and no sense of smell.
The consultant asked me if what I had eaten on the times i had had a weezing attack. He said that from what I had eaten and the polyps in my nose it sounded like a salicylate intolerance.
Im due to go back and see him next friday for some better advice. I had alook at some websites and found a list with the foods to avoid and I must admit I ate a orange last night which made me wheeze all night, but then that may be more coincendence.
As you can see im not sure if what he said is right and the only way to find out is to avoid the food to see if it makes a difference.

some ENT consultants do have "an interest in " allergy so he may actually know what he's on about then. If he hasn't mentioned skin prick test/ a rast blood test ask if you can have tests. Milk is often said to cause blocked noses but the wheezing after the orange is suspicious Maybe I should be trying a salicyclate free diet too as I don't have much sense of smell either

This page mentions the possibility of it being chemicals in food rather than salicyclates and looks interesting for food lists

users.bigpond.net.au/allergydietitian/fi/sal.html

How are you with toothpaste? I'm sure that the mint part is high in salycilates so if you do an avoidance diet you would have to brush your teeth with bicarb of soda or something.

Citric acid mixed with a spoonful of sugar in a glass of water makes a nice fake lemonade type drink.

well I kept a food diary and saw him on Friday. So far the foods that triggered a wheezing fit were orange, orange barcardi breezer, lemon pop and tango. I also ate some of the foods that were very high in salyacilates e.g rasins but I was ok after them. The consultant said that it could be certain chemicals mixed with salycilates that may trigger it. He said that each day your body can tolerate different levels so I could eat a orange today and be fine but not tomorrow. He said its a very hard diet to eliminate all the foods. My nose is very blocked and that could be exagerating the cough and hers refered me for a op to remove the polyps.

see how you go when the polyps are removed or try and get a referral to an allergy clinic (ask now and the polyps will probably have gone before you get there ). Someone who is intolerant to a food can sometimes have small amounts if its only repeated once in 4 days. If eaten often levels build up in the body to the point where they become a nuisance. Wouldn't have thought that applied to salicyclate as much because its in so many foods. Sounds like one for a consultant allergist.