A person who is very sensitive to certain foods can have an allergic reaction if their partner ingests this food before exchanging a kiss. In the majority of cases, these reactions are mild to moderate.
Can the exchange of saliva cause an allergy?
A kiss can indeed cause an allergy if one of the two people ingested an allergen before kissing the person allergic. These situations are rare but have nevertheless already been described. In 2005, a 15-year-old girl in Canada reportedly died of an allergic reaction after being kissed. This would be the first case described. The same pattern occurred more recently in 2016, also in Canada, with a 20-year-old young woman.
What are the worst allergens involved?
Peanuts, egg whites, milk, some fruits, seafood are foods that are often responsible for food allergies. Drug allergies also exist. But in reality, “it’s not so much the allergen as the sensitivity of the patient which is important. It is necessary to take into account the combination of the allergenic potential of the food in question, the quantity of food ingested and the sensitivity of the person“, explains Dr. Madeleine Epstein, allergist and vice-president of the French union of allergists. In other words, two people allergic to the same food will not have the same reaction because their reactivity threshold is different.
What reactions?
Contact with the allergen via kissing can lead to reactions”mild to moderate in 70% of cases“, according to French journal of allergology. The symptoms can be the following:
- Of the itching;
- THE swelling of the lips;
- More rarely, respiratory problems such as rhinitis or an asthma attack;
- more serious, edema with difficulty breathing or anaphylactic shock
Is it frequent?
According to the Revue française d’allergologie, the frequency of kissing-induced allergy syndrome (SAIB), is “probably underestimated and is rather poorly known since theevaluations place it between 1 and 10% in populations of individuals suspected of food allergy or actually suffering from this condition”.
What treatment?
For the less serious but more frequent cases, the effects can be erased thanks to antihistamines. “In the event of a severe reaction, the patient should not hesitate to use his self-injectable adrenaline pen“, recalls Dr. Madeleine Epstein.
Thanks to Dr. Madeleine Epstein, allergist and member of the French Syndicate of Allergists.