If you're allergic to dairy products, eating them can be a source of pain if you've been diagnosed with arthritis or other joint conditions. When you consume dairy products and experience an allergic reaction, your immune system produces various chemicals that affect your soft tissue. This reaction in the body can trigger inflammation and swelling in your joints, triggering arthritis pain. The most effective way to prevent an arthritis flare-up with a dairy allergy is to eliminate all milk products from your diet. Discuss your options with your doctor and participate in allergy testing to confirm a milk allergy.
Food Allergy and Arthritis
The Center for Food Allergies states that any food that triggers an allergic reaction in your body can result in an arthritis flare-up. Your body can experience an allergic reaction to any food, but some foods are more common than others. The most common food allergens include milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and wheat, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Initial symptoms can develop within minutes, but joint inflammation can take up to a day to develop.
Dairy Allergy
Although dairy allergies mainly affect children, a small percentage of the American adult population is allergic to dairy. A milk allergy occurs when your immune system mistakes the proteins in dairy, casein and whey, as dangerous substances. The body overreacts to these proteins and develops immunoglobulin E, or IgE antibodies, to fight against the milk proteins, according to KidsHealth. Once IgE antibodies are introduced into the body, various other chemicals are produced to help defend the body. Histamine is one of the primary chemicals that causes arthritis.
Histamine
Histamine is a naturally occurring chemical in your body that keeps the body free of infection. During a milk allergy, excessive amounts of histamine are produced. Histamine is produced by mast cells, commonly located in soft tissue, such as the sinus cavity, the lungs and your joints. Too much histamine released in soft tissue causes inflammation and swelling, which can lead to pain, according to MayoClinic.com. Although most milk allergy symptoms develop within the first hour, the Center for Food Allergies states that arthritis symptoms may take up to 24 hours to develop.
Diagnosis
Make an appointment with an allergist to determine if you're allergic to milk. An allergist will perform various tests on your skin and blood to conclude if you're allergic to milk. If the allergist notices the effects of IgE antibodies during the tests, you will be diagnosed with a milk allergy
