Allergies: Living with an Egg Allergy

Egg allergy -- especially to egg whites -- is more common in children than in adults and reactions range from mild to severe. Mild reactions tend to involve the skin and gastrointestinal tracts. Severe allergy can be instantaneous.

If you suffer from an egg allergy, strictly avoiding eggs and food containing egg and egg products is the only way to prevent a reaction. But, it is not always easy to avoid these foods since many unsuspecting products contain eggs.

Always check the label ingredients before you use a product. In addition, check the label each time you use the product. Manufacturers occasionally change recipes, and a trigger food may be added to the new recipe. Also, keep in mind that some egg substitutes contain egg white.

Examples of egg products and foods that may contain eggs include:

Egg Products	Egg-Containing Ingredients	Egg-Containing Foods
Eggs Egg whites Egg yolks Dried eggs or egg powder Egg solids	Globulin Albumin Apovitellenin Livetin Ovalbumin Ovomucin Ovomuciod Ovovitellin Phosvitin	Eggnog Bavarian creams Breaded foods (some) Cake Candy (some) Caesar salad dressing Cookies (especially chocolate chip) Creamed foods Cream pies Cream puffs Crepes Custard Doughnuts Egg rolls Egg noodles Frosting Hollandaise sauce Ice cream Mayonnaise Marshmallows Meat or fish cooked in batter Meringue Muffins Pretzels Pudding Simplesse (fat substitute) Souffles Tartar sauce Waffles Some wines Anything fried or batter-fried

Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine.

SOURCE: The Food Allergy Initiative

Reviewed by Walter M. Ryan, DO, February 1, 2007.

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