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New study explores peanut allergy treatment for children with higher tolerance levels 20th February 2025

A recent study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, has provided encouraging evidence that a supervised, gradual peanut ingestion protocol may help children with a high-threshold peanut allergy increase their tolerance to

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New allergy training initiative for North East schools 19th February 2025

Anaphylaxis UK is delighted to be working with NHS Trusts in Gateshead & Newcastle-upon-Tyne on their BeatAnaphylaxis course for schools in the North East. 

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Research opportunity: have you had a severe food allergy since childhood that requires use of an adrenaline auto-injector? 14th February 2025

The University of Manchester is inviting individuals to participate in an event where they can share their healthcare experiences and contribute to meaningful discussions with student researchers. This research opportunity aims to help students learn directly from patients about their

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Managing house dust mite allergy: treatment option now available on the NHS  12th February 2025

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released its final draft guidance, recommending Acarizax for NHS use in the management of house dust mite allergy. Developed by ALK-Abello, Acarizax is the first therapy specifically designed to treat

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Needle-free nasal adrenaline treatment under review for approval in Canada and the UK 7th February 2025

ARS Pharmaceuticals has made significant progress in expanding access to neffy®, its needle-free adrenaline (epinephrine) nasal spray. After gaining approval in the U.S. and Europe for treating severe allergic reactions like anaphylaxis, ARS Pharmaceuticals has now filed for approval in

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Peanut allergy patch shows promising long-term results in 3-year study 5th February 2025

A recent announcement from DBV Technologies revealed promising long-term results from its EPITOPE Study. Results from a 3-year study showed that the VIASKIN® Peanut patch can help children with peanut allergies become less sensitive to peanuts, reducing the risk of

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Call for participants: help improve safety and support for those living with food allergies 4th February 2025

A group of health care professionals and patient representatives have created a Task Force on Food Allergen Ingestion Risk (‘FAIR’) within the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). This team is working to explore the challenges and needs

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The year that was 2024 30th January 2025

As we look ahead and finalise our plans for 2025, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of our highlights from the year that was 2024. From new resources and awareness campaigns to new initiatives and development of our AllergyWise® training programme, we were proud to be able to recognise our 30th anniversary with so many positive strides towards creating a brighter future for those living with serious allergies.

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2024 allergy research & healthcare news roundup: key highlights and breakthroughs 30th January 2025

Living with allergies can sometimes feel isolating, especially when it seems like no one fully understands your struggles or when progress toward better solutions feels slow. However, it’s essential to look toward research to see the great strides being made

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What is a food allergy?

A banana allergy is a type of food allergy. Food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system wrongly identifies a food as a threat. When this happens, the body releases chemicals, such as histamine, in response. It is the release of these chemicals that causes symptoms.

What is banana allergy?

Usually, people who are allergic to bananas are allergic to other foods as well. The banana allergy exists as part of pollen food syndrome or latex food syndrome, which mainly affect the mouth and throat.

Pollen food syndrome
Pollen food syndrome occurs in some people with hay fever who are allergic to certain pollens from grass or weeds. Proteins in certain foods are so similar to the proteins in pollen that they cause symptoms when you eat the food. This is due to a process known as cross-reactivity. The foods include certain fresh fruits and vegetables, and bananas can be one of them.

Latex food syndrome
This occurs in some people who are allergic to natural rubber latex. In these cases, there is a similarity between the proteins in latex and the proteins in banana.

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Symptoms of banana allergy

Symptoms usually begin within minutes. If you have pollen food syndrome or latex food syndrome, symptoms are usually confined to the lips, mouth, tongue and throat. They can include:

  • itching of the mouth and throat
  • an itchy rash known as hives (urticaria)
  • swelling of the skin (angioedema)

 

With both conditions, serious symptoms are unlikely because the proteins that cause the allergy are unstable and are destroyed once they reach the stomach.

Most of the allergen (the protein that causes the allergy) is in the skin or pips, so peeling the banana and removing the black seeds in the middle may reduce the symptoms or prevent them altogether.

Most people with either of these types of allergy don’t need to carry adrenaline auto-injectors.

Serious banana allergy symptoms

Rarely, people can be allergic to bananas even if they are not allergic to pollen or natural rubber latex. People with this type are more likely to have serious allergic reactions.

More serious symptoms are often referred to as the ABC symptoms and can include:

  • AIRWAY – swelling in the throat, tongue or upper airways (tightening of the throat, hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing)
  • BREATHING – sudden onset wheezing, breathing difficulty, noisy breathing
  • CIRCULATION – dizziness, feeling faint, sudden sleepiness, tiredness, confusion, pale clammy skin, loss of consciousness

 

The term for this more serious reaction is anaphylaxis.

Most healthcare professionals consider an allergic reaction to be anaphylaxis when it involves difficulty breathing or affects the heart rhythm or blood pressure. Any one or more of the ABC symptoms above may be present.

In extreme cases there could be a dramatic fall in blood pressure. The person may become weak and floppy and may have a sense of something terrible happening. Any of the ABC symptoms  may lead to collapse and unconsciousness and, on rare occasions, can be fatal.

Managing banana allergy

In all cases of banana allergy, it’s important to avoid bananas, but it is essential if you have a serious allergy.

If you have a serious allergy

  • Be careful of fruit salads, fruit drinks and anything else which might contain banana as an ingredient.
  • If you are prescribed a medicine by your doctor, check if banana flavouring has been added. There has been at least one report of a child having an allergic reaction within an hour of taking penicillin containing banana essence as a flavouring.
  • Be careful of personal care products and toiletries, such as shampoos and body lotions. Always read the ingredient lists.

 

If you have a pollen food or latex food allergy

If you do have a reaction to bananas, stop eating the food and wash your mouth with water. Although a serious reaction is unlikely, you may wish to take an antihistamine tablet. This may help, but as symptoms usually disappear quickly on their own, often within two hours, they might not have much impact.

Most people with a fruit allergy related to pollen food syndrome or latex food syndrome can tolerate their culprit fruits once cooked, as the protein that causes the reaction is likely to be deactivated by heat.

Treating more serious symptoms

If you are at higher risk of anaphylaxis, you may be prescribed adrenaline to use in an emergency.

Adrenaline comes in pre-loaded adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) that are designed to be easy to use. Make sure you know how and when to use them. Ask your healthcare professional to show you and find help on the manufacturer’s website and get a free trainer device to practice with.

The adrenaline auto-injectors prescribed in the UK are:

 

You must carry two AAIs with you at all times, as you may need to use a second one if your symptoms don’t improve after five minutes or get worse.

If you have asthma, and it is not well controlled, this could make an allergic reaction worse. Make sure you discuss this with your GP or allergy specialist and take any prescribed medicines.

What else could I react to?

If you are allergic to bananas, cross-reactivity with latex may mean you also react to avocado, kiwi or chestnut. You might also experience oral reactions to other fruits such as peach, olive and tomato, and raw vegetables such as bell pepper and carrot.

Key messages

  • If you know or suspect you have a banana allergy, getting expert medical advice is vital. Start by seeing your GP.
  • If your allergy is diagnosed as potentially serious and you are prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors, make sure you carry them with you at all times and know how to use them.

Further information

Download our banana allergy factsheet

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