How to fill in the food allergy history column

The core principle is to only fill in the names of foods that have been medically confirmed to trigger immune allergic reactions. Do not fill in the names of suspected allergens or minor intolerances that are uncertain, otherwise it may lead to unnecessary restrictions or even medical misjudgments.

This is not something I say out of thin air. In the past two months, I accompanied the elderly at home to do pre-operative examinations and fill out health questionnaires. The elderly usually have diarrhea when drinking fresh milk, so they just filled in "milk allergy". Fortunately, the nurse asked a few more questions during the pre-operative check and found out that it was just lactose intolerance. Drinking zero-lactose milk was not uncomfortable at all. If the allergy was really recorded, the anesthesiologist would have to avoid medicines containing trace amounts of milk ingredients during the assessment, which inadvertently increased the complexity of pre-operative preparations.

Of course, this does not mean that all uncertain situations cannot be mentioned, just adjust them based on the scene. For example, if you are filling out an outpatient medical record for medical treatment, and you get wheals all over your body every time you eat shellfish, but you don't have time to get an allergen test to confirm the diagnosis, you can fill in the confirmed allergy items and add "suspicious shellfish allergy, frequent hives after eating, undiagnosed" next to it. This is just a reference for the doctor, and there is no need to directly fill in the formal column as a confirmed item.

Nowadays, many people tend to confuse food intolerances with allergies. In fact, there is a very simple way to distinguish them: Allergies are mostly "accidental". Even a small amount of food debris may cause a reaction. In severe cases, it may cause wheezing, tight throat or even shock.； Intolerances are mostly caused by "eating enough to make you feel uncomfortable." For example, drinking half a cup of milk will be fine, but drinking a full cup will cause diarrhea and bloating. This is a problem of insufficient digestive enzymes, not an allergic reaction of the immune system, and does not need to be filled in the allergy history.

Oh, by the way, if you have a diagnosed severe food allergy, it is best to write down the serious reaction of the allergy when filling it out, such as "Peanut: has induced anaphylactic shock." Whether it is a health form collected by the school or a medical record by an emergency doctor, you can get the severity at a glance, which can better help you avoid risks.