- Egg allergy often starts in infancy, commonly diagnosed between 6 and 12 months, and many children outgrow it by adolescence.
- Symptoms can range from itchy, red skin and stomach upset to wheezing and trouble breathing, sometimes starting minutes after exposure.
- Seek urgent care for signs of anaphylaxis, such as severe breathing difficulty, swelling, or symptoms that quickly worsen after eating foods with egg or trace amounts.
Egg allergy is an immune system reaction to proteins found in eggs, especially in egg whites. The body mistakes these proteins for a harmful substance and triggers an allergic response.
Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in children. It is often diagnosed between 6 and 12 months of age and may improve during adolescence.
Symptoms can include itchy, red skin, breathing difficulty, and a dry cough. Treatment should be guided by a pediatrician and may include strict avoidance, oral immunotherapy in selected cases, and certain medications.
Main symptoms
The main symptoms of egg allergy are:
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Redness and itching of the skin;
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Stomach pain;
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Nausea and vomiting;
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Diarrhea;
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Runny nose;
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Trouble breathing;
Symptoms may start within minutes after eating egg. In some cases, it can take hours for symptoms to appear, which can make the allergy harder to recognize.
Symptom severity can change over time, so it’s important to avoid foods that may contain even traces of egg. In severe cases, exposure can trigger anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that can make it hard or impossible to breathe.
Egg allergy in babies
Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in young children. While it often improves with age, some cases can persist into adolescence before tolerance develops.
Along with the symptoms above, a baby with egg allergy may also have pale skin and refuse foods that contain egg.
Confirming a diagnosis
A healthcare provider diagnoses an egg allergy by evaluating a person’s symptoms, overall health, and family history of allergies.
To confirm the diagnosis, the provider may order additional testing, such as a skin prick test and an oral food challenge. During an oral food challenge, the person eats a small amount of egg in a hospital setting so the medical team can monitor for symptoms.
Possible causes
Egg allergy happens when the immune system overreacts to egg proteins and treats them as harmful, leading to symptoms. It may be linked to genetics and a family history of egg allergy or other food allergies.
Egg allergy can also develop over time. As a child is exposed to egg, the immune response may increase until symptoms appear, which is why medical evaluation is recommended.
Treatment options
Treatment for egg allergy focuses on avoiding egg and any foods that contain egg as an ingredient, regardless of the amount. It’s important to pay close attention to food preparation and ingredient labels.
A doctor may also recommend egg oral immunotherapy, which involves gradually increasing exposure to egg protein to reach an amount that does not trigger symptoms.
In addition, a pediatrician may recommend omalizumab (Xolair), a monoclonal antibody that helps reduce allergic reactions by binding to IgE, an antibody involved in triggering allergic symptoms.
Prevention strategies
The main way to prevent mild reactions is to remove egg from the diet. This includes avoiding plain egg and foods that may contain traces of egg, such as cakes, breads, cookies/crackers, breaded foods, puddings, pasta/noodles, mayonnaise, and cereals.
It is also recommended to check food labels carefully, since many products may contain egg-derived ingredients such as albumin, globulin, lecithin, ovalbumin, and ovoglobulin.
Frequently asked questions
Some common questions about egg allergy are:
1. Does egg allergy have a cure?
There is no single treatment that “cures” egg allergy. However, egg allergy resolves in many children because the body may naturally develop tolerance over the years.
2. Can someone with egg allergy get vaccines?
Some vaccines are made using egg-based manufacturing processes, including some influenza vaccines and the yellow fever vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with egg allergy can receive any age-appropriate flu vaccine, and no additional safety measures are recommended beyond standard precautions used for any vaccine.
Decisions about vaccines should still be reviewed with a clinician, especially for people with a history of severe reactions.
3. When to include egg in a child’s diet
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing solid foods around 6 months of age, when a baby shows signs of developmental readiness.
There is no evidence that delaying allergenic foods like egg beyond 4 to 6 months helps prevent food allergy.