What's the difference between a food allergy and "oral allergy syndrome"?

Type of food allergy: Oral allergy syndrome (oas) is a type of food allergy, with symptoms limited to the mouth and throat and prevented by cooking all food. There are other types of food allergy, some of which cause gastrointestinal (stomach/bowel) problems such as diarrhea or pain, or a rash, or watery eyes/nose, or even swelling of the throat and/or other life-threatening problems like very low blood pressure.

Food allergy: A food allergy in adults is uncommon. It can be verifed by skintesting and rast testingmin most cases but not all cases since you may be allergic to what the food becomes after digestion. An oral allergy syndrome is probably referring to food intolerance which is not a classic allergy and may not show up with such tests. It has many causes and is a complex subject but is more common in adults.

OAS is food allergy: Oas is the most common and benign type of food allergy. It occurs when proteins which are contained in pollens are shared with fruits/vegetables/grains/legumes. Ingestion of the food induces oral pruritis and in rare occasions, rhinitis and angioedema but it rarely progresses to systemic symptoms. Fortunately, these labile proteins are degraded by your stomach pH after ingestion.

Cause of Oral allerg: Oas is seen when people with high level of ragweed pollen allergy feel itchy mouth and throat when they eat melons, (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and rarely cucumbers). Also, birch pollen allergy triggers this when eating peach family fruits ( cherries, apricots, nectarines, etc...), apples and pears. Diagnosis is made by positive tests to the pollen and history. Pollen immunotherapy may help.