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What Happens To Your Body If You're Allergic To Mustard?

If you are allergic to mustard and you eat some, the mustard protein is quickly detected by a part of your immune system called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). These are antibodies designed to recognise specific proteins and they’re only produced by people with a tendency to have allergies. If you have IgE antibodies that recognise mustard, this puts you at risk of developing an allergy to it. 

As soon as the IgE detects the mustard protein, it sends a signal to special cells in the body that contain large amounts of a chemical called histamine. This signal tells the cells to release their histamine, causing the symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Mild To Moderate Reactions

Mild to moderate symptoms typically affect the skin, the respiratory system and the gut.

• A flushed face, hives, a red and itchy rash around the mouth, tongue or eyes. This can spread across the entire body.
• Mild swelling, particularly of the lips, eyes and face.
• A runny or blocked nose, sneezing and watering eyes.
• Nausea and vomiting, tummy cramps and diarrhoea.
• A scratchy or itchy mouth and throat.

These symptoms should be treated with antihistamines first and then watched closely for any sign of a more severe reaction.

Moderate To Severe Reactions

Allergic reactions that involve difficulty breathing (such as wheeziness) or affect blood circulation (like a drop in blood pressure, causing collapse in adults or floppiness in babies and small children) are known as anaphylaxis. 

These reactions are a life-threatening medical emergency. They should be treated with an injection of adrenaline if available (with an EpiPen or Anapen), an ambulance must be called immediately and you should tell the emergency call handler the patient is having an anaphylactic reaction.

Anaphylaxis can feature these symptoms:

• A wheezing or chest tightness, similar to a severe asthma attack.
• Swelling of the tongue and throat, restricting the airways. This can cause noisy breathing (especially on breathing in), a cough, a change in voice or problems swallowing your own saliva.
• A sudden drop in blood pressure (called hypotension) leading to shock.
• Dizziness, confusion, collapse, loss of consciousness and sometimes coma.

Anaphylaxis usually occurs within seconds or minutes of exposure to mustard. The sooner it’s treated, the more likely you are to recover.