Lupus affects approximately 1.5 million people in the U.S., and 90 percent of them are women, according to data estimates from the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. Although many people with lupus often also experience some form of allergy, including food allergies, the exact relationship between food allergies and lupus is still unclear.
Background
As an autoimmune disease, lupus is a chronic health condition characterized by an immune system that attacks healthy cells and tissues in the body. Multiple forms of lupus exist, and they vary depending on the part of your body that your immune system attacks. Like lupus, food allergies result from an overactive immune system; in the case of food allergies, the immune system identifies particular foods, such as peanuts, shellfish, eggs or milk, as invaders and produces antibodies as a result.
Symptoms
Due to its multiple and varied symptoms, lupus is notoriously difficult to identify and diagnosis, particularly when you first start noticing signs of the condition. Common lupus symptoms include pain and swelling in the joints and muscles, skin rashes and discolorations, excessive fatigue, sun exposure sensitivity and swollen lymph nodes. At first, many people, especially those suffering from a form of lupus that affects their skin or digestive system, think they might have a simple case of food allergies. Symptoms of lupus that are similar to those of food allergies include skin rashes, headaches, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.
Relationship
People with lupus often also suffer from various allergies, but the jury is still out on whether there is actually a relationship between food allergies and lupus. People diagnosed with lupus typically have in their bodies elevated levels of allergen-producing substances -- called immunoglobin E antibodies -- but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are more likely to suffer from food allergies or that food allergies cause lupus. Overall, organized clinical studies produce conflicting results and fail to provide definitive evidence that people with lupus are more likely to suffer from food allergies than those without lupus, according to Dr. Daniel Wallace, clinical professor of medicine at UCLA and contributing author in “Dubois’ Lupus Erythematosus.”
Considerations
Most people with lupus experience periods without symptoms interspersed with occasional flare ups, during which symptoms worsen for a short time. Depending on the type of lupus you have, food allergies or sensitivities could potentially act as a trigger that leads to some lupus flares, says Dr. James Braly, coauthor of “Hidden Food Allergies.” Talk to your doctor if you notice lupus flares regularly develop after you consume a common food allergen. Potential foods that are typically more likely to cause food allergies include fish, nuts, shellfish, milk, eggs and soy. If your doctor suspects that certain foods may be to blame for worsening or causing some of your lupus flares, he might ask you to eliminate those foods from your diet.
References
- Lupus Foundation of America: Statistics on Lupus
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; Fast Facts about Lupus; October 2009
- MedlinePlus: Food Allergy
- “Dubois' Lupus Erythematosus”; Dr. Daniel Wallace, et al.; 2007
- “Hidden Food Allergies”; Dr. James Braly; 2009
