Allergies in general can cause temporary changes in your heartbeat, but dairy allergies do not cause specific heart problems. A serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis can make your heart pound or beat irregularly. While your pounding heart may make you feel like you're having a heart attack, the symptoms come from chemical changes in your body that occur as an allergic reaction and not from a problem with your heart.
Frequency
Dairy allergies occur in children more commonly than in adults. While 2.5 percent of children under the age of 3 have a milk allergy, the most common allergy in children, 80 percent outgrow it by age 16, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. (ref 1)Food allergies account for 30 to 50 percent of anaphylaxis, the serious allergic reactions that causes your heart to pound and possibly to beat irregularly, the AAAAI states. (ref 1) Heart symptoms can develop very rapidly, within minutes after exposure to a dairy product.
Symptoms
The heart symptoms most commonly seen in allergic reactions to dairy or other substances are heart palpitations or irregular beats. Heart palpitations occur when your heart beats more rapidly than usual or if it beats irregularly. Your heart speeds up in a severe allergic reaction because your body releases histamine and other substances that dilate blood vessels, causing a drop in blood pressure. (ref 2)To keep up oxygenation to all parts of the body, your heart speeds up. Since each heartbeat carries less blood to the tissues, the heart has to be more times and more forcefully to oxygenate the tissues.
Treatment
If you do develop a rapid heartbeat and other allergy symptoms such as shortness of breath, hives, chest tightness or facial swelling, seek medical attention. If you know you have a dairy allergy, carry epinpehrine--adrenaline in injectable form-- with you at all times to use if symptoms develop. A rapidly pounding heart can cause anxiety that can make your symptoms even worse. Try and remain calm; this is easier to do if you're prepared for a possible allergy attack with medications to counteract your symptoms.
Warnings
Adults with pre-existing heart problems who develop tachycardia or heart arrhythmias could have a higher risk of complications during an allergy attack, F. Estelle R Simons, M.D of the University of Manitoba explains. If you give yourself adrenaline, a hormone responsible for the body's "fight or flight" response, your heart rate will also speed up. Dairy products can hide in a number of processed foods, so read food labels carefully. Check labels for casein, whey and lactalbumin in processed foods.
References
- American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology: Allergy Statistics
- Asthma and Allergy Information and Research: Anaphylaxis - Life-Threatening Allergy
- UpToDate; Anaphylaxis Symptoms and Diagnosis; F Estelle R Simons, M.D.; June 2008
- Food Allergy Solutions; Milk Allergies and Lactose Intolerance; July 2003
