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Multiple Choice

Which of the following are symptoms of a food allergy?

Food allergy symptoms involve an immediate reaction after exposure to a triggering food, often affecting skin, airway, and facial tissues. The combination of flushing, hives, trouble breathing, and swelling of the eyes, lips, face, or tongue fits this pattern, signaling an IgE-mediated response that can escalate to a serious reaction. The other options describe conditions not typically tied to a food allergy: digestive upset after a meal can reflect intolerance or other GI issues; daily diarrhea without a clear trigger suggests a non-allergic cause; and a headache that improves with rest isn’t related to allergen exposure. Recognizing the skin plus airway involvement after eating points to a food allergy. If breathing trouble or facial swelling occurs, it’s a medical emergency.

Food allergy symptoms involve an immediate reaction after exposure to a triggering food, often affecting skin, airway, and facial tissues. The combination of flushing, hives, trouble breathing, and swelling of the eyes, lips, face, or tongue fits this pattern, signaling an IgE-mediated response that can escalate to a serious reaction. The other options describe conditions not typically tied to a food allergy: digestive upset after a meal can reflect intolerance or other GI issues; daily diarrhea without a clear trigger suggests a non-allergic cause; and a headache that improves with rest isn’t related to allergen exposure. Recognizing the skin plus airway involvement after eating points to a food allergy. If breathing trouble or facial swelling occurs, it’s a medical emergency.