Tomato
Tomatoes, officially classed as a fruit, yet commonly known as a vegetable are a food that is eaten widely. Unfortunately, for people with a tomato sensitivity, they are found in many processed food products.
Reported adverse reactions to tomatoes include anaphylaxis, urticaria, angioedema, dermatitis, oral allergy syndrome, rhinitis, stomach problems, and asthma. [1, 2,3]
Not all reactions to tomato can be classed as allergic. Tomatoes are high in a number of naturally chemical chemicals including Salicylate and Solanine. For some people the amount they eat simply needs to be reduced, or, for some, tomatoes need to be wholly eliminated.
In 33 people with chronic urticaria and pseudoallergic reactions to food, tests were performed with field-grown tomatoes. Seventy six percent reacted to tomato. The researchers tested for salicylates, histamine, and other components, and attributed the reactions to aromatic volatile ingredients in food, which are novel agents that elicit pseudoallergic reactions in chronic urticaria. Histamine, Salicylate, and a direct mast-cell histamine release were not involved in this reactivity to naturally occurring pseudoallergens. [4]
Reactions to tomatoes, for some people, are further complicated by cross reactivity with latex. [5]
References
1. Jesenak M, Rennerova Z, Babusikova E, Havlicekova Z, Jakusova L, Villa MP, Ronchetti R, Banovcin P. Food allergens and respiratory symptoms. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2008 Dec;59 Suppl 6:311-20.
2. Zacharisen MC, Elms NP, Kurup VP. Severe tomato allergy (Lycopersicon esculentum). Allergy Asthma Proc. 2002 Mar-Apr;23(2):149-52.
3. Vandenplas O, Sohy C, D'Alpaos V, Nootens C, Thimpont J, Weigand D, Scheurer S. Tomato-induced occupational asthma in a greenhouse worker. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Dec;122(6):1229-31. Epub 2008 Sep 13.
4. Zuberbier T, Pfrommer C, Specht K, Vieths S, Bastl-Borrmann R, Worm M, Henz BM. Aromatic components of food as novel eliciting factors of pseudoallergic reactions in chronic urticaria. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002 Feb;109(2):343-8.
5. Vozza I, Ranghi G, Quaranta A. Allergy and desensitization to latex. Clinical study on 50 dentistry subjects. Minerva Stomatol. 2005 Apr;54(4):237-45.