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Adult Food Allergies Can Turn Severe, Urgent Warning Issued
24 Jul
Summary
- Adult-onset food allergies can become more severe unexpectedly.
- A lifelong dairy allergy led to a severe anaphylactic reaction.
- An EpiPen is crucial for adults with food allergies, even if previously mild.
A 30-year-old woman, Caroline Sacks, experienced a severe anaphylactic reaction to dairy, an allergy she had managed for three decades. Despite assurances from a restaurant that her meal could be prepared dairy-free, she developed escalating symptoms including lip swelling and throat tightening after eating.
Prompt medical attention was required, with firefighters administering oxygen and paramedics using an EpiPen to reverse the reaction. Sacks was subsequently transported to the emergency room for monitoring. Doctors informed her that food allergies can indeed become more severe in adulthood.
This frightening ordeal has led Sacks to advocate for increased vigilance among adults with food allergies. She now consistently carries an EpiPen and stresses the importance of seeing an allergist, even if symptoms have historically been mild or absent.
Sacks also highlighted the need for restaurants to take all allergy-related requests seriously, as severe reactions can occur unexpectedly. Her experience, shared on social media, aims to educate others and dispel the myth that severe allergies are exclusively a childhood issue.
