The Association between Food and Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis

Abstract

Exercise induced anaphylaxis (EIA) and its subtype food dependent (FD)- EIA are uncommon and easily missed forms of allergy. Exercise induced anaphylaxis (EIA) is a unique form of physical allergy characterised by rapid onset of generalised urticaria and occasionally complicated by respiratory compromise and/or cardiovascular collapse during or shortly after exercise. The first case report was published in 1979 by Maultiz et al. EIA has since been described in association with the use of medications (such as aspirin and non steroidal drugs, which may also cause spontaneous urticaria and angioedema), and with premenstrual hormonal change. 1 A variant of EIA that is perhaps more common in clinical allergy practice is anaphylaxis triggered by exercise soon after ingestion of food allergens. A clinical scenario emerged whereby patients would develop EIA following the intake of specific foodstuffs. This disease is now termed FD-EIA