Food intolerance - Pseudoallergic reactions induced by biogenic amines.

Abstract

Biogenic amines may induce mucocutaneous and systemic intolerance reactions to food. Clinical symptoms are indistinguishable from IgE-mediated allergic reactions and include itching, chronic urticaria, angioedema, exacerbation of atopic eczema, rhinitis, bronchial obstruction, asthma: diarrhea, and defects in intestinal function, vasomotor headaches, and the rare anaphylactoid shock. An overload of the organism with biogenic amines may be the result of the following mechanisms: an increased intake of biogenic amines with food, an increased synthesis by the intestinal flora, a diminished catabolism of biogenic amines by the intestinal mucosa, and an increased release of endogeneous histamine from mast cells and basophils by histamine-releasing food. A deficiency of intestinal diamine oxidase is suspected to be the major reason for histamine-induced pseudoallergic reactions. Considerable improvement has been observed in 50% of patients with histamine intolerance and patients with atopic eczema who followed a histamine-depleted diet.