Wheat allergy

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Introduction Signs and symptoms Causes Risk factors

When to seek medical advice Screening and diagnosis Treatment Prevention

Introduction

Wheat is one of the eight most common allergy-causing foods. While wheat allergy most often affects children, it can also occur in adults. Allergic reactions usually occur in susceptible individuals a few minutes to a few hours after they've consumed wheat.

Signs and symptoms of wheat allergy range from mild to severe and can include skin reactions, congestion and digestive issues. Rarely, wheat allergy can cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction.

If you or your child has a reaction to wheat, tell your doctor about it, no matter how mild the reaction may have been. Tests can help confirm a wheat allergy, so you can take steps to avoid future and potentially worse reactions.

Not all reactions to wheat are caused by wheat allergy. Some people have a digestive reaction to a sticky protein called gluten that's found in wheat and other grains. This reaction to gluten differs from a wheat allergy. It can be caused by an inability to digest gluten (gluten intolerance) or by an allergic reaction to gluten known as celiac disease or gluten sensitive enteropathy.

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Signs and symptoms