Swelling of the windpipe (trachea)

February 26, 2002

I have succumbed to a food allergy that is causing asthmatic attacks. Eating anything with black pepper seems to irritate my trachea hence swelling. Have you ever heard of this? What should I do about it? -- Terry, South Carolina

One of our patients experienced an allergic response just from eating food cooked in oil that black pepper-seasoned food had been cooked in.

It is important to differentiate between irritation and true allergy. Even minute amounts of a food to which an individual has a true allergic response can cause tracheal swelling and even death.

Food can irritate the passages through which it travels in the digestive system. An example of food irritation is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This occurs when food irritates the stomach and then irritates the esophagus as it is belched back up.

The irritation is not an allergic response. One of our patients recently had a cough she attributed to allergies, but when her reflux was treated the cough went away.

The trachea is not part of the gastrointestinal (G.I.) tract. The trachea is the windpipe that goes from the throat to the lungs. When the trachea swells as a result of eating a certain food, it usually indicates a serious allergic response caused by chemical reactions in the body, not irritation.

It is important to go to an emergency medical facility immediately if your trachea starts to swell, regardless of the cause.

If you know which food causes this, prevention is the best treatment: Omit that food. Even minute amounts of food can cause tracheal swelling in a person allergic to that food.

You should see your physician and follow his recommendations carefully. He may prescribe an EpiPen or other medications.

See:
EpiPen in milk, peanut, and food allergy

References:

  1. The Trachea, Saskatchewan Lung Association, a provincial association of The Canadian Lung Association.
  2. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
  3. "Gastrointestinal Allergy," Holgate, S., Church, M, & Lawrence, M., Allergy Second Ed., Mosby, 2001.