My 2 1/2 PA daughter had a reaction to pineapple a few day ago. Up until this point, the only food we knew of that she was allergic to was peanuts.

She had hives all over which lasted about 36 hours (kept reappearing every time the Benedryl dosage ran out). I spoke to my allergist and he said I should have her tested for pineapple, which I'll do, but I'm fairly certain it was the pineapple.

So do any of you who have PA also have a pineapple allergy? Is pineapple a fairly common allergy to have?

On May 25, 2002

I have heard that pinnapple and coconut are in the tropical fruit family. The allergist should test her for all the fruits in that family of possible allergies. Good luck.

------------------ Karalot

On May 26, 2002

My son says that pineapple makes his tongue feel funny. He spit it out immediately. We assume he is allergic to it and avoid it, but have not have him tested for it.

On May 27, 2002

Pineapple is the only fruit my son is not allergic to. He is a 4 on severity. Maybe there was something on the outside skin of the pineapple? I cut the pineapple in half, then scoop it out. I found that the skin has a lot of "white powder" stuff and who knows what that is? (Just a thought, you never know) Sandy

On Jul 20, 2002

I made a punch for an open house with Pina Colada mix, pineapple juice, and 7up. Everyone asked how it was made because it was delicious. One of my friends said that she was allergic to both pineapple and coconut. I told her I was glad she had not tried it yet. Secretly I wondered if it was an intolerance or a true allergy. I am sure that as far as my friend is concerned it makes her feel bad and that is all that matters. Sometimes I think about the difference between intolerances and allergies and hope that the general public does not confuse them. So if it helps at all to be validated I have heard of an allergy to pineapple! From the Heartland!

On Jul 22, 2002

My cousins daughter was severly allergic to pineapple as a child, but has since outgrown it. She is, however, still allergic to pistachios and hazelnuts.

Amy

On Jul 22, 2002

Tucker is not allergic to pineapple, but is to canteloupe, watermelon, and kiwi. I guess children often have multiple allergies. Fortunately, the fruit just gives him really itchy exczema. And I'm assuming he will outgrow it, unlike the peanuts, so we don't make a big deal of it.

I did once have a problem with a pineapple myself. When I ate it, my tongue went totally raw and bloody (sorry, that's kind of gross). Anyway, it only happened to me once, so I figured somehow the pineapple was bad. The memory of it makes me avoid fresh pineapple; I usually only eat canned now.

On Jul 22, 2002

My son is allergic to peanuts and expressed an instant dislike for pineapple. He said it made is tongue feel funny. So we are assuming he is also allergic to pineapple.

On Jul 24, 2002

william is ok with pineapple , ( but MY hands burn when i handle it) but he doesnt like the taste, however is allergic to kiwi, why only one fruit ? oh, and no allergy to latex which is linked to kiwi. The human body must be strange thing , if he is allergic to many foods linked to peanut, is tree pollen allergic , why allergic to only one fruit.? Not that i want more mind you, it just strikes me as odd. sarah

On Jul 24, 2002

Pineapple is a weird, weird fruit. The burning tongue/hand/raw, bloody tongue thing that many people have as a reaction to pineapple is a result of an enzyme that's in fresh pineapple that eats away at tissues. People who work in pineapple processing plants frequently lose their fingerprints because of the pineapple (according to DH, who is a font of trivial information like this). This enzyme is also used for tenderizing meat, so if you're very sensitive, it's not surprising to hear of someone getting a raw, bloody tongue from it. It's not a true allergic reaction, but some people are more sensitive to it than others.

Fresh pineapple is recommended to women to help soften the cervix late in pregnancy. With my first baby, my labor was very prolonged because my cervix wouldn't soften and efface. With my second, I started eating fresh pineapple a few days before my due date. By the time I went into labor, my cervix was so soft that dilation took no time. Obviously, it being my second baby things went faster, but I really think that pineapple helped!

Sarah

On Jul 26, 2002

My oldest son (19yrs) and my youngest PA son (9yrs) are both "sensitive" to pineapple. My oldest has since outgrown. The youngest breaks out with rashes and complains of itchiness in his throat. He also has multiple other true fruit allergies tested after he had an anaphylactic reaction to cherries. So no more Peaches, apples, strawberries, cherries, pears, pinepples, and of course, peanuts. Thank heaven that this child will eat any food and loves so many varieties... his twin on the other hand is so picky...thankful that it wasn't her that was diagnosed with so many allergies... she probably wouldn't eat!!! (btw, her favorite sandwich for lunch is Peanut butter - what a challenge for us!)

On Mar 18, 2003

raised to complement another thread regarding reactions to kiwi

=========================== [b] It sounds like it may be oral allergy syndrome.

[url="http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/Oral_Food_Allergy.htm"]http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/Oral_Food_Allergy.htm[/url] [/b] By Dr. Anthony Ham Pong, M.B., B.S., Paediatric Allergist - Ottawa Ontario.

Oral Allergy Syndrome is an allergy to certain raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, spices and nuts causing allergic reactions in the mouth and throat. These allergic reactions happen mostly in people with hayfever, especially spring hayfever due to birch pollen, and late summer hayfever due to ragweed pollen (Webmaster note: there is no ragweed pollen in British Columbia west of the Rockies).

An allergic reaction happens while eating the raw food, and causes itchy, tingly mouth, lips, throat and palate. There may be swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, and watery itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing. Handling the raw fruit or vegetable e.g., peeling it or touching the juice to the lips, may cause rash, itching or swelling where the juice touches the skin, or sneezing, runny nose and water eyes. Sometimes, more severe symptoms can happen such as vomiting, cramps, diarrhea and, on rare occasions, life threatening reactions with swelling of the throat, wheezing, trouble breathing and anaphylaxis.

Fruit, Vegetable & Nut Allergies Associated with Spring Allergies (due to tree pollen) Webmaster note: For more foods, see the "Botanical List of Food Families" article FRUITS: APPLE family (apple, pear) PLUM family (plum, peach, prune, nectarine, apricot, cherry) KIWI

VEGETABLES: PARSLEY family (carrot, celery, dill, anise, cumin, coriander, caraway) POTATO family (potato, tomato, green pepper) NUTS: Hazelnut, walnut, almond

LEGUMES: Peas, beans, peanut

SEEDS: Sunflower

Ragweed allergy (which causes hayfever in August and September) can be associated with allergies to raw bananas, and the members of the gourd family (melon, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, zucchini and cucumber).

Grass allergy can be associated with allergies to orange, melon, watermelon, tomato, kiwi, peanut.

These allergic reactions usually occur only when the food is raw. People who are allergic to the raw food can eat it cooked, canned, microwaved, processed or baked. For example, someone allergic to raw apples can eat apple sauce, apple jelly, apple juice, apple pie and dried apples. However, nuts may cause allergic reactions whether raw or cooked. This problem is usually life long. Allergy tests to these foods may sometimes be negative unless a fresh fruit is used for the test (instead of a commercial allergy extract). The allergic reaction to these foods can occur anytime of the year when eating the foods but can be worse during the pollen season and especially if hayfever is very troublesome that year.

The allergic reaction is not due to pesticides, chemicals or wax on the fruit. Howeve,r because the more allergic part of the fruit may be in the skin, some people allergic to fruits, e.g., peaches, can eat the flesh without reaction if the skin is peeled away. Similarly for apples, some brands of apples cause more allergic reactions than others. Freshly picked apple, e.g., straight from the tree or an unripe apple, may cause fewer allergic reactions than one which is very ripe or one which has been stored for weeks after picking.

Severe allergic reactions to foods causing Oral Allergy Syndrome are most likely to occur with celery, kiwi, peaches, apricots, apples and nuts, especially hazelnuts.

Management of Oral Allergy Syndrome

These allergies are caused by the raw fruit or vegetable and therefore, once they are cooked or processed, they can usually be eaten. You do not need to avoid all the foods on the chart in the table above. Avoid only those particular ones which have caused allergic reactions. Be aware, however, that if you do have Oral Allergy Syndrome to some of the foods, you can develop allergies to other foods on the chart. If an allergic reaction occurs to one of these foods, stop eating it immediately. Severe reactions may happen if you keep eating that food. Allergic reactions may be treated with antihistamines. If you have had severe symptoms including trouble breathing, when eating the foods, you may need to carry injectable medication with you to treat these reactions (e.g., EpiPen

By rolwell on Oct 30, 2011

Although I don't have a peanut allergy, I am severely allergic to pineapple (when I was younger I would go into anaphylaxis if I ate it) and have been my whole life.I've never met anyone else with a true pineapple allergy and as far as I know it's not one of the more common allergies. My allergy has lessened enough that I will no longer go into anaphylaxis if I eat pineapple, although I still experience other symptoms. Because pineapple is an unusual ingredient, I find it easy to avoid eating/drinking altogether so even if your daughter isn't allergic to pineapple, if it makes her feel bad you can easily avoid it. My allergy to pineapple has lessened over the years, and my doctor predicts that I will eventually outgrow the allergy entirely, although I will remain sensitive to pineapple my entire life.

-Rosie (15 years old)