Eggs and Allergies

An egg allergy is one of the most common allergies, affecting 2-3% of children in the UK. An egg allergy can lead to severe allergic reactions, with accidental exposures occurring frequently. While many children outgrow the allergy during early childhood, some may continue to have it into their teenage years or even adulthood.

In rare instances, egg allergies may develop in adults.

What is an Egg Allergy?

An egg allergy is when the body mistakenly thinks that proteins in eggs are harmful. This causes the immune system to release chemicals like histamine, which leads to allergic reactions. Both egg yolks and egg whites can cause allergies, but egg white is more common.

Babies can also react to egg proteins if their mothers eat eggs and pass the proteins through breast milk. Also, around 20% of children with an egg allergy will develop a peanut allergy.

Symptoms of Egg Allergy:

Symptoms can vary but usually show up soon after eating eggs. Common symptoms include:

• Skin issues: Redness or hives.
• Nasal symptoms: Stuffiness, runny nose, or sneezing.
• Digestive problems: Stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting.
• Breathing issues: Coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath.

Severe reaction: Anaphylaxis

In rare cases, an egg allergy can cause anaphylaxis, a serious and life-threatening reaction. Signs of anaphylaxis include:

• Trouble breathing: Swelling in the throat or difficulty breathing.
• Stomach pain: Severe cramps or pain.
• Fast heartbeat: A very rapid pulse.
• Shock: Sudden drop in blood pressure, which can cause dizziness or fainting.

Factors affecting reactions

Reactions can vary in severity – factors include how much egg is consumed and how it’s cooked.

• Contact with Eggs: Even touching eggs or egg products can cause reactions.
• Common symptoms: Reactions can show up as soon as eggs are eaten or can cause skin problems like redness around the mouth.
• Skin and digestive Issues: Reactions can also lead to swollen lips, eyes, and face, along with stomach problems or worsening eczema.
• Severe reactions: Though rare, anaphylaxis can affect breathing and blood circulation, causing pale skin, weakness in infants, or dizziness and loss of consciousness in older individuals.

If a severe reaction occurs, seek emergency help immediately and call an ambulance. For more information, please see the following leaflet (with one of the authors being Allergy Centre of Excellence’s Prof. Adam Fox),

that has been created to help individuals, families, carers, or anyone responsible for a person with food allergies reduce their risk of having a severe reaction. Access the leaflet.

Risk Factors: Certain things can make it more likely for a child to develop an egg allergy:

• Eczema: Babies with eczema or other food allergies, like a milk allergy, are more likely to have an egg allergy.
• Family History: If parents have asthma, food allergies, or other allergies like hay fever, hives, or eczema, their children might also develop food allergies.

Egg allergic children and Vaccines

There is a heightened focus on vaccines currently, especially for children with egg allergies. Below is some key information on this.

MMR vaccine: Thankfully, children with egg allergies can safely have the MMR vaccine just like any other child. The chance of an allergic reaction is extremely low, and it is almost never due to the tiny amount of egg content.

Nasal Flu vaccine: The nasal flu vaccine, often given to young kids at school, is also safe for most with egg allergies. The only exception is for those who have had severe reactions to eggs that required intensive care, which is very uncommon. This warning is mainly because such severe cases weren’t part of the study that showed no reactions in egg-allergic children.

Yellow Fever vaccine: On the other hand, the yellow fever vaccine does contain more egg protein and might cause reactions. Children with egg allergies would need to have this vaccine under close medical supervision and consult a specialist, as it’s not available everywhere.

Rabies vaccine: For people in remote areas where rabies is a risk, it’s important to know that some rabies vaccines also have egg components. It’s crucial to talk to a healthcare provider to make sure the vaccination is safe.

Managing Egg Allergy After Diagnosis: What Are the Options?

Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in young children, especially those with early eczema. Thankfully, compared to allergies like peanut or milk, egg allergies are less likely to cause serious reactions, although it is still possible. Most children outgrow their egg allergy by the time they are 4 or 5 years old. However, for some children, it may take longer, and it is hard to know exactly when or if they will outgrow it.

There are three different possible approaches to managing egg allergy in early childhood:

1. Complete avoidance of egg
2. Introduction of baked egg in a supervised setting as a food challenge
3. Food OIT (also known as Oral Immunotherapy / Desensitisation)

There will be more information we will be sharing very soon regarding the options of managing an egg allergy after diagnosis.

What is Food OIT (Oral Immunotherapy) for Egg Allergy?

Oral Immunotherapy (OIT), involves giving the child very small amounts of egg that gradually increase over time. The goal is to help the child tolerate more egg without having an allergic reaction. This means that they can eat foods with egg safely or at least handle small accidental exposures without problems. OIT is well-studied for milk and egg allergies and is also being researched for peanut allergies.

It’s important to note that OIT helps build a temporary tolerance to egg, but not a permanent one. This means the child will need to keep eating regular doses of egg to maintain this tolerance. If they stop, they might become sensitive to egg again, although over time they may outgrow their allergy. Kindly note that this treatment will be offered soon to patients at Allergy Centre of Excellence.

Kindly note that this treatment will be offered soon to patients at Allergy Centre of Excellence

Appointments and enquiries:

At the Allergy Centre of Excellence, our aim is to provide patient centred and personalised care to children with food allergies and their families. Led by three world-renowned Allergy Professors in Paediatric Allergy, Prof. Adam Fox, Prof. George Du Toit, and Prof. Gideon Lack. Additionally, we have a wider dedicated team of experienced clinicians and a patient services team to ensure you are supported at every stage of your allergy journey.

Please fill out the short form on our Get in Touch – Allergy Centre of Excellence page, or give us a call on 020 3633 9851, and our team will take the time to assist you.

Helpful links:

• Parent and Carer Leaflet – reducing the risk of a child having a serious allergic reaction 
• Egg OIT  – coming soon
• Egg Allergy Factsheet | Anaphylaxis UK