POLLEN-FOOD ALLERGY SYNDROME

Also called oral food syndrome, pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS) happens when pollen, a common allergen, cross-reacts with allergens found in raw fruits, vegetables, and some tree nuts. The proteins of these two allergens have similar structures, and the immune system sees them as the same invader. If you have a pollen allergy and sometimes experience an itchy mouth or throat after eating produce or nuts, you may have experienced PFAS. People who have this reaction are safe to eat the same foods when they’re cooked because it changes the protein structure, and the immune system no longer identifies an allergen. For people with PFAS, the offending pollen usually comes from a plant in the birch, ragweed, or grass families.

P.S. Unlike many other allergies, children are at lower risk for developing the symptoms of pollen-food allergy syndrome because pollen allergies don’t usually develop in children under the age of three.

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