Son seems allergic to potato peeling but has no problem eating his chips

QMy son suffers from hay fever at this time of year but he has never had any other allergies. Recently, he has started saying his hands itch when he peels potatoes. Is this just an excuse to get out of chores? He has no problem demolishing plates of mash or chips!

This sounds like oral allergy syndrome and it’s caused by the immune system becoming sensitised to chemicals, or allergens, found in some pollens and raw fruits, vegetables and some tree nuts.

The initial reaction is usually to pollen, in your son’s case birch pollen (which is abundant at this time of year) and then several years later symptoms develop on contact with raw fruits and vegetables, typically apples, almonds, carrots and stoned fruits. Some people also react to raw potatoes as well.

Oral allergy syndrome is rare in young children and usually develops in teenagers or young adults.

Reactions do not occur when the foods are cooked because heat alters the allergens so they are not recognised by the immune system.

Symptoms can include an itchy mouth, throat, lips and sometimes a rash around the mouth and on the face. Touching the foods can cause an itchy rash on the hands.

The symptoms are usually only in one area that has been in contact with the food, and treatment with antihistamine tablets and steroid cream usually gives prompt relief.

Really severe allergy reactions, with swelling of the inside of the mouth, are rare so your son probably does have a legitimate reason for not peeling potatoes, but no excuse for avoiding the washing up!

AQMy father has an ulcer on his right foot and ankle that is not getting better. He attends the health centre once a week to have it re-dressed but it is very much getting him down. His foot and leg were damaged in an accident many years ago causing blood flow and nerve damage.

He is normally a very strong and positive person but this is now hugely affecting his life and I worry he will become ill with the frustration of feeling it will never get better.

We’d be grateful for any recommendations or suggestions. Leg ulcers are a break in the skin, often caused by a minor injury, and in most people they heal up in a couple of weeks. However, if there is a problem with the underlying circulation, the skin doesn’t heal, and the ulcer can increase in size.

Occasionally, this can be due to narrowed arteries reducing the blood supply to the skin, but much more commonly a problem with the veins is to blame. Veins carry blood back to

Athe heart and in the legs they have one-way valves that prevent the blood flowing back under gravity.

If these are damaged, blood flows down towards the ankles and the resulting high pressure means fluid leaks out into the surrounding tissues. This damages the skin and prevents ulcers healing.

The cause of all leg ulcers needs to be assessed by checking the blood flow in both the arteries and the veins, as the way they are treated is different, depending on whether narrowed arteries or damaged veins are to blame.

For venous ulcers, the treatment involves both dressing the ulcer itself to prevent infection and aid skin healing, as well as compression bandaging to help lower the pressure in the ankle when you are standing up.

It is also important to keep the leg elevated above the heart when sitting down, as this aids the return of blood from the leg.

Most venous ulcers do eventually heal in three to four months and while, for some, it can take longer than this, eventually with the correct treatment most ulcers do heal.

Ulcer healing can also be aided by looking after your general health, which means taking regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, losing excess weight and, most importantly of all, not smoking.

QI know the NHS has been under pressure in the past year, but it really has become impossible to make contact with my GP.

I’ve tried emailing and phoning, but just don’t seem to get anywhere.

Neighbours have had the same problem. Is it possible to change to another practice and, if so, how do I go about it? What happens to my medical records?

The way that GP practices operate has certainly changed hugely in the past year.

Instead of patients routinely visiting the surgery to see their doctor, it’s now normal for the initial contact to be made by e-mail or phone, as many problems can be dealt with this way and doctors only see those that need to be examined face to face, for example for a skin condition, or to check a chest or a bloated abdomen.

You certainly should still be able to receive some sort of consultation though, either with a doctor or one of the nurses. If a practice receptionist cannot help you make any sort of appointment, then I suggest you write to the practice manager to get a clarification of how appointments are made. If this gets you nowhere, then it is reasonable to change to a different surgery.

You’ll first need to check that they are taking new patients (most are) and then fill in a registration form. You’ll need some proof of ID and your address for this, but with many surgeries you can now do this online.

Your computer records will transfer over fairly quickly, usually in a few weeks, and this will include a list of your medications.

Your old paper records will take a lot longer (it could take months or years!) but this usually does not matter, or make any difference to your ongoing care.

● If you have a health question for Dr Leonard, email her in confidence at yourhealth@express.co.uk. Dr Leonard regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence or reply to everyone.

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