Am I Allergic to Alcohol

 

Am I Allergic to Alcohol

It is common for us to hear about allergies to dust, chocolate or shellfish, but to alcohol? Yes, we tell you that you yourself may be allergic and have mistaken a simple redness for an allergy that requires treatment.

Redness
If your face and neck turn red and shiny, you should be concerned. If this happens to you every time you drink alcohol, it means that your body is not prepared to process it, since you metabolize acetaldehyde, but you lack the ALDH2 enzyme, which is what transforms the most toxic acetaldehydes into harmless substances to be expelled from the system.

How do I know when I am intolerant to alcohol or when I am allergic? The difference lies in the dizziness and the discomfort in the body. If you only blush when you consume alcohol, but feel no physical discomfort, it means that you are just intolerant.

Urticaria
If spots or hives appear on your skin when consuming alcohol, it means that you are facing anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that makes your whole body hypersensitive. If the pimples that appear on your body are accompanied by pain and itching, stop drinking immediately. Hives are a sign that you are allergic to sulfites, a group of compounds that occur naturally in alcohol.

If you are asthmatic you should be even more careful, since 10% of people who suffer from asthma have allergic reactions to alcohol due to the sulfites present.

Swollen nose and mouth
If your nose and mouth swell every time you drink a glass of alcohol, everything indicates that you may be allergic to histamine, a compound generated by bacteria and yeast present in alcohol. Inflammation of the nasal passages can cause breathing problems, so you shouldn't take it lightly for any reason.

Stomach cramps and nausea
If you have excruciating pain in your stomach, nausea and diarrhoea, it is also a sign that you are allergic to alcohol, as histamine is also known to thicken blood vessels and cause acute abdominal cramps.

Elevated heart rate
If you notice a change in your general breathing pattern, you should immediately schedule an appointment with your doctor as this could be an indication that your allergic to it, however, this may or may not be the case. If the case that you can have an allergic reaction to any type of alcohol, to future proof, you can buy Rhinocort Nasal Spray or the EpiPen Auto-Injector Online in the UK with an online pharmacy.