Wheat Allergy

Wheat allergy, also known as wheat hypersensitivity is most generally a food allergy, but can also be a respiratory or contact allergy resulting from occupational exposure. Normally the allergy is limited to the seed storage proteins of wheat, some reactions are restricted to wheat proteins, while others can react across many varieties of seeds and other plant tissues. Wheat allergy may be a misnomer because there are many allergenic components in wheat, for example serine proteinase inhibitors, glutelins and prolamins and different responses are often attributed to different proteins. The most severe response is exercise/aspirin induced anaphylaxis recognized to one omega gliadin that is a relative of the protein that causes coeliac disease. Other more well-known system includes nausea, urticaria, atopy.

There are four main classes of seed storage proteins: albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelins. Within wheat prolamins are known as gliadins and glutelins are called glutenins. These two protein groups form the standard glutens. Though gluten is a causative agent of Coeliac disease (CD), coeliac disease can be contrasted to gluten allergy by the involvement of different immune cells and antibody types and because the list of allergens extend beyond the classic gluten category of proteins.