Wheat Allergy: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & Management

Wheat allergy can be confusing — especially when “gluten-free” gets mixed up with coeliac disease, wheat intolerance, or everyday tummy troubles. In this episode of Hope & Histamine: The Paediatric Allergy Podcast, we break down wheat allergy in babies and children in a clear, practical way.

You’ll learn the common symptoms (from hives and vomiting to wheeze and anaphylaxis), when to suspect an IgE-mediated reaction vs a delayed reaction, and how clinicians diagnose wheat allergy using a focused history, skin prick testing, specific IgE, and (when appropriate) supervised oral food challenges. We also cover hidden sources of wheat, smart label-reading tips, cross-contamination risks, and how to build a safe plan for nursery, school, parties, and travel.

Whether you’re a parent looking for reassurance or a clinician needing a quick refresher, this episode gives you a confident framework for recognising reactions, managing risk, and supporting healthy nutrition while staying safe.

Sources:

Cianferoni, A. (2016) ‘Wheat allergy: diagnosis and management’, Journal of Asthma and Allergy.Ebisawa, M., Shibata, R., Sato, S., Borres, M.P. and Ito, K. (2012) ‘Clinical Utility of IgE Antibodies to ω-5 Gliadin in the Diagnosis of Wheat Allergy: A Pediatric Multicenter Challenge Study’, International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, 158, pp. 71–76.Inomata, N. (2009) ‘Wheat allergy’, Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 9, pp. 238–243.Mäkelä, M.J., Eriksson, C., Kotaniemi-Syrjänen, A., Palosuo, K., Marsh, J., Borres, M., Kuitunen, M. and Pelkonen, A.S. (2014) ‘Wheat allergy in children – new tools for diagnostics’, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 44, pp. 1420–1430.Pi, X., Ren, S., Ye, H., Cao, J., Chu, J., Cao, L., Li, B. and Zhang, B. (2025) ‘A review of wheat allergy: allergens characteristic, the impact of processing on allergenicity and future perspective’, Trends in Food Science & Technology, 164, p. 105244.Pourpak, Z., Mesdaghi, M., Mansouri, M., Kazemnejad, A., Toosi, S.B. and Farhoudi, A. (2005) ‘Which cereal is a suitable substitute for wheat in children with wheat allergy?’, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 16, pp. 262–266.Venter, C., Maslin, K., Arshad, S.H., Patil, V., Grundy, J., Glasbey, G., Twiselton, R. and Dean, T. (2016) ‘Very low prevalence of IgE mediated wheat allergy and high levels of cross-sensitisation between grass and wheat in a UK birth cohort’, Clinical and Translational Allergy, 6(22).Yanagida, N., Takei, M., Saito, A., Sato, S. and Ebisawa, M. (2022) ‘Clinical cross-reactivity of wheat and barley in children with wheat allergy’, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 33, p. e13878.

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Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast and on this website is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition. Please don't ignore or delay seeking medical advice based on content from this podcast or website.

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