Egg allergy
Itchy lips after scrambled eggs, but fine with cake? Egg reactions often depend on how the egg is cooked, and that is part of what makes them confusing. Our test checks for IgE antibodies to egg white, egg yolk and five single egg proteins, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, so you can see whether egg is on your list.
- Group
- Food
- Also known as
- egg, egg white, egg yolk, ovomucoid, ovalbumin, albumen
Where you meet it
- Eggs in any form: boiled, fried, scrambled, poached
- Cakes, pastries, pancakes, fresh pasta and some breads
- Mayonnaise, aioli, hollandaise and some dressings
- Meringue, mousse, custard and ice cream
- Breaded or battered food, and egg wash on baked goods
Egg white, egg yolk and which proteins matter
Most egg allergens sit in the white. Ovalbumin is the most abundant egg white protein, and heat changes its shape quite a lot. Ovomucoid is smaller and holds its shape better through cooking.
This is why some people report reacting to lightly cooked egg but not to egg baked into a cake. Specialists sometimes look at ovomucoid (Gal d 1) separately for that reason, and the panel reports it on its own line. Whether someone tolerates baked egg is something an allergist decides, often with a supervised challenge, not something a result can answer on its own.
What people commonly report
Reactions people describe include an itchy mouth, hives or a red rash around the mouth, swollen lips, stomach pain and vomiting. In some cases there is wheezing. They tend to start within minutes to two hours.
Egg allergy is far more common in young children than in adults, and many children outgrow it. Adults do also become sensitised, sometimes linked to bird feathers or work with eggs.
If you have swelling of the lips or throat, or trouble breathing, call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number.
Sensitisation versus reacting
A positive egg result means your blood has IgE antibodies to egg. It does not by itself mean you will react when you eat it. Low-level sensitisation in someone who eats egg without symptoms is common. Do not remove egg from your diet, or reintroduce it, based on the result alone. Take the result to a doctor, together with what you have noticed.
How our test checks egg
The lab measures IgE to whole egg white and egg yolk extracts and to five single egg proteins (molecular components). Your lab report gives each a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high. The class describes the result, to discuss with a doctor.
- Whole egg white and whole egg yolk extracts
- Egg white proteins: Gal d 1 (ovomucoid), Gal d 2 (ovalbumin), Gal d 3 (ovotransferrin), Gal d 4 (lysozyme)
- Egg yolk protein: Gal d 5 (livetin, chicken serum albumin)
- Does not measure: IgG or food intolerance
Known cross-reactions
- Eggs from other birds
- Duck, goose and quail eggs contain similar proteins. People sensitised to hen's egg often show antibodies to these too.
- Bird feathers and chicken meat
- An uncommon association, sometimes called bird-egg syndrome, links sensitisation to bird feathers with egg yolk reactions in adults. It involves livetin (Gal d 5), which is on the panel. Bird feathers are not.
Sources
- EAACI Molecular Allergology User's Guide 2.0. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 2023.
- Utility of ovomucoid-specific IgE concentrations in predicting symptomatic egg allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2008.
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300 allergens. One test.
A finger-prick sample at home, sent by post. A detailed lab report typically 5 days after the lab receives your sample, and our plain-English guide to reading it. €300, €1 per allergen.
Questions
Why can I eat cake but not boiled egg?
Heat changes some egg proteins more than others, and in baked goods egg is also mixed into a wheat matrix. Some people tolerate baked egg for that reason. An allergist can tell you whether that applies to you.
Is an egg yolk reaction the same as an egg white one?
Most egg allergens are in the white, but yolk contains some too. In practice white and yolk are hard to separate cleanly in food, so a doctor will usually look at both.
Does a positive result mean I need to stop eating eggs?
Not on its own. A result shows sensitisation, not a clinical allergy. If you eat eggs without symptoms, discuss the result with a doctor before you change anything.