Does Food Trigger your Asthmatic Cough?

My dd`s reactions to may contains that are not stated (i.e. on shared equipment with peanuts and not stated) look just like that! Also, when she ate the cinnamon rolls with milk and mislabeled by Van De Kamps she also had a cough, no hives, etc. She is also allergic to milk. However, if yours happens after every meal, maybe it is not FA? It would have to be a food that is very common. What about skin or rast testing?

Hi Carefulmom, thanks for your response. I remember when your dd had a reaction to Van de Kamps - and I noted then that her reaction was coughing.

I should have stated that I don't cough after everything I eat when traveling - but after many meals. French fries, pickles, pancakes with syrup at Waffle House....always processed foods - which I don't eat at home.

Does anyone react to the type of additives or preservatives that are put in processed food?

I've had limited skin tests but did have ELISA blood test that I feel was inaccurate, but showed I have mild FA to tons of things including all meats, except duck!

If the swallowing tests show nothing I'll throw this back in the allergists lap - and go for RAST testing. It
would be nice not to cough. I cough until I gag and even strangers are offering me a drink of water (which doesn't help).

Also - family history. My dad has asthma and coughs from food - specifically chocolate & corn. I suspected corn (corn syrup is in everything) but I had a neg SPT to corn.

Adele, I'm not really going to answer your question. My son had two asthma attacks shortly after PA diagnosis. Looking back on them last year, when he had his third asthma attack (virus induced, if you will), I thought, you know, our "comfort zone" was NOT what it is now (and had been since after the first two asthma attacks), so I've basically come to the conclusion that my guy's two first asthma attacks *may* have been PA related. Can't say for sure 7 or 8 years later, but *may* definitely have been.

As far as him coughing now, as far as I know (touch wood), he is PA only and he's never around any peanut products (erik has posted just recently what has happened to him if he goes into an eatery with peanuts and I'm not clear if coughing was involved), so when my guy coughs now, I know it's either a kid simply coughing (although with asthma involved, that's always in the back of your mind) or it's his asthma.

I understand ruling the one thing out first, but since this only happens to you when you eat out, not in the safety (if you will of your own home, I'm thinking it must be food related in some way (or environment related - do you have any environmental allergies)?

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Sorry, Adele. When Jesse had his last anaphylactic reaction, his chest constricted and he thought his asthma was acting up and went to the office to ask for his asthma puffers. I can't remember right now, and am not clear if I posted it in the thread about his reaction, whether he was coughing or not.

The *strange* thing with that anaphylactic reaction, especially with an asthmatic child, was that his blood ox was totally okay when we got to the ER. What Jess perceived as difficulty breathing was chest constriction and not asthma related, but reaction related.

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Quote:Originally posted by Adele:
[b]Hi, I have cough-variant asthma. I just cough - I don't wheeze.

[/b]

My cub's asthma and LTFA are inextricably linked. His asthma has a tendency to surface as a persistent cough. Or more insideously, as decreased capacity to move air, despite [i]appearing[/i] to be doing the work of breathing. Even with accessory muscle useage, I mean. Instead of my cub telling me there is shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, his mood or activity level may change (increased or decreased). Left to it's own devices, his Asthma can very well develop into "wheezing" as well. He has a strong component of cyclical inflamation.

I generally can tell *on my cub* where the inflamation/irritation is (or how far it has progressed---not necessarily how rapid) depending on the symptom.

Anywhooooooooooo. I've also seen anaphylaxis take him immediately to a swollen airway.

General Disclaimer: I am not offering advice in any manner or form. Just describing my own personal, highly individual and unique situation. IMMV.

Quote:Originally posted by MommaBear:
[b]
His asthma has a tendency to surface as a persistent cough. Or more insideously, as decreased capacity to move air, despite [i]appearing[/i] to be doing the work of breathing. Even with accessory muscle useage, I mean. Instead of my cub telling me there is shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, his mood or activity level may change (increased or decreased). Left to it's own devices, his Asthma can very well develop into "wheezing" as well. He has a strong component of cyclical inflamation.
[/b]

When did my DS move in with you? He has the same a-typical presentation. There have been many times we've gone to the ER for his asthma and they've told me he's fine. Until they hook him up to the pulse-ox and find out his sats are only 86%! With DS unless you know his body language really well you can't always tell just by looking and listening. Usually by the time he starts wheezing he's in real distress.

To answer the original question... DS does react by coughing when or just after eating some of his food allergens (wheat most specifically). It seems more likely that your reactions are due to cross-contamination with nuts/peanuts in the restaurant kitchen rather than some additive you never run into at home.

Rebekah

[This message has been edited by rebekahc (edited June 29, 2005).]

My ds reacts to some preservatives, but a cough has only been involved twice. Usually it is just hives, sneezing, runny nose, itchy tongue and lips, and once swelling of upper lip.

I have done a lot of research on it, and there is a lot of info about preservative allergies out there, if you think that is what it may be.

The foods you listed are all foods that usually use the preservative sodium benzoate (one of the ones my ds reacts too).

Adele,

Both my son and I have asthma that is aggravated when we eat any variants of hot or cold. Mostly cold.

I have reflux which causes me to wheeze also. No specific time but it does make me wheeze. Some reflux you don't feel so it is hard to figure out why I am wheezing.

Lately my nose runs when I eat. My father had that too, and MIL sneezes once she is done eating. Go figure.

Peg

Quote:Originally posted by Peg541:
[b]Both my son and I have asthma that is aggravated when we eat any variants of hot or cold. Mostly cold. [/b]

count on my oldest to begin that nagging persistent......[i]cough cough cough, muffle cough[/i] within minutes of slushies. He [i]craves[/i] them. Go Figure. It would be too easy otherwise. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/tongue.gif[/img]

[This message has been edited by MommaBear (edited June 30, 2005).]

If you are wondering whether it is allergic, dd`s allergist told us that there us some sort of reactant that goes up in the blood during a reaction, and stays up for an hour or two after. We talked about testing for this during the Van De Kamps reaction, but since we were both sure it was a reaction, we decided no need to. Maybe you want to be blood tested right after the cough? I also am thinking maybe it is cross contamination with peanuts that you are not aware of.

[This message has been edited by Carefulmom (edited June 30, 2005).]

Thanks y'all...

Cold air makes me cough but hot/cold food doesn't. I eat hot/cold food and home and don't cough. (except for ice cream - but it makes everyone cough).

Attlun - I have suspected sodium benzoate. It seems to be one of the common denominators and is suspected to aggravate asthma.

Peg - when I start coughing from food - my nose runs like crazy too. Another reason I think it's an allergy.

Carefulmom - not a bad idea! I didn't know this could be done. Some trips are predicatably bad. Hmmm - will ask the allergist.

If the video esophogram rules out a swallowing problem then I'll keep a food diary on my next trip.

If I can't figure out what causes the cough then I'll have to have a bladder lift when I get older! (The older one gets the more careful one must be when coughing hard or sneezing.) See what all you young-un's have to look forward to?

Thanks for everyone's help.
Cheer...

[This message has been edited by Adele (edited June 30, 2005).]

Adele, have you tried your puffer when coughing like that?

Anytime I notice my son coughing a lot I always say "Puffer!" and he usually has tried it already or is about to. I also see that most of the time it works.

When he comes with me to Costco we always get Frozen yogurt for lunch there. We sit in the car with our yogurt and our puffers and laugh.

Peg

Hi Peg,
Yep - I use the puffer when I cough and it works like a charm... but a few hours later I eat again - cough again - and puff again - then it makes me shake.

This is why I want to find out what triggers it. I'd rather avoid than medicate.

Thanks!
Adele

P.S. - Peg - I know the feeling about using your puffers and laughing. My Dad has the same sort of asthma. He's the one that told me I had it too....he recognized the cough. Chocolate makes him cough but he still eats it.
We've gone on road trips before where we've puffed first - then eaten what we shouldn't be eating.

I won't complain because it beats having my mother's medical hx. She died of colon cancer (after 2 bouts of breast cancer) at the age of 58 - only 3 years older than I am now.