Food allergies and sensitivities are common in Iran and in many countries of the world, and every year a significant number of allergic people (children and adults) suffer from allergies to fresh fruits and summer herbs!
In Iran, there is a lot of interest in consuming summer foods, including juicy fruits such as watermelon and melon, especially in the hot seasons and sometimes on special occasions such as Yalda night! For this reason, reports of allergies and sensitivities to these fruits are recorded every year!
Usually, the symptoms of allergy and sensitivity to fruits and vegetables are more concentrated in the mouth and throat area and include swelling, redness and itching. Of course, in some cases, an allergic person may experience more severe complications in the skin area (such as hives) and even a systemic anaphylaxis reaction! 

Watermelon plant with the scientific name of Citrullus lanatus is a type of bush plant whose edible fruit called watermelon is consumed in a significant amount all over the world! The origin of the watermelon plant is South Africa.
Watermelon is a member of the family Cucurbitaceae.
Cucurbitaceae family includes a large group of summer vegetables such as watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, pumpkin or eggplant.
Allergy to melon, cantaloupe or watermelon are among the most common allergies to members of this family.
The English name of watermelon is Watermelon maybe because of the high amount of water (more than 90%) in the fruit tissue.
After spreading the planting of watermelon fruit all over the world, now in Europe, the most consumption of this juicy and sweet fruit is in the Mediterranean areas, especially in Spain, Italy and Greece!

Watermelon grows well in tropical and subtropical regions. This plant has wide and big hairy leaves, creeping stems and white or yellow flowers.  
Watermelon generally has many cultivars that differ in terms of size, fruit shape, fruit texture color (red or yellow) and the length of its growth period! Of course, there are different categories for different types of watermelons in Iran; For example, thin-skinned or thick-skinned watermelons.
Classification based on whether watermelon is early or late is another type of watermelon grouping in Iran, and based on this classification, different cultivars can be identified: Iranian cultivars such as Qaraq, Khanumi, Sharif Abad, Mehboobi, Hamedan white skin, or Foreign cultivars such as Charleston Gray (Engineering Watermelon), Block Diamond, Fairfax.

Despite the small protein content of watermelon fruit, the results of research and studies conducted on people who are sensitive to this fruit have led to the isolation and identification of several sensitizers or allergens in the tissue of watermelon fruit!
In general, in many cases, allergy to fruits, including watermelon, is caused by the patient’s allergy to the pollen of some plants.
In simpler words, the prevalence of allergies to fresh fruits is more observed in people with respiratory allergies caused by plant pollen.
Accordingly, cross-reaction of allergens or watermelon allergens with ragweed pollen has been proven for years. In other words, people who are sensitive to ambrosia weed pollen may suffer from allergic reactions in the mouth and throat area or suffer from other digestive complications due to consumption of watermelon.

In general, the symptoms of watermelon allergy are similar to other food allergens and fruits. Oral Allergy Syndrome is one of the most common side effects of watermelon consumption.

 Symptoms in this syndrome include:

1. Itching of the lips, mouth and throat as well as swelling in these areas.
2. In addition, in some cases, after consuming watermelon, a person may experience complications such as hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal and stomach pain, or cough.
3. It is worth mentioning that in children as well as adults, immediately after consuming watermelon, a person may experience allergic reactions, especially in the area around and inside the mouth and throat!
4. In addition, sometimes digestive complications caused by allergies and sensitivity to watermelon begin a few hours after consuming and entering the digestive system.
5. Fortunately, in many cases, the allergic side effects are mild and disappear gradually after stopping the consumption of watermelon.
6. However, a person who is sensitive to watermelon should be careful of severe side effects such as anaphylaxis.
7. This reaction is a severe and systemic allergic reaction that requires emergency medical attention!

If a person’s allergy and sensitivity to watermelon is confirmed after clinical examinations and blood or skin tests, the surest way to treat it is to avoid consuming watermelon. People who are sensitive to watermelon should avoid consuming and contacting the skin of the face with the juicy tissue of watermelon (to be careful and prevent skin complications)!
Watermelon belongs to Cucurbitaceae family.
In addition to watermelon, there are cantaloupe, melon, eggplant, pumpkin or cucumber in this family.
Therefore, people who are sensitive to watermelon should be careful when consuming fruits of the same family as this plant!  
To treat the allergic symptoms caused by consuming watermelon fruit when the said allergic side effects are not severe, a specialist doctor usually prescribes antihistamine drugs or topical steroid ointments.
But in some cases, when the allergic side effects are severe and there is a possibility of systemic anaphylaxis reaction, emergency medical care is needed.

• In case of proving an allergy to watermelon by an allergist, it is recommended to limit or stop the use of watermelon or foods in which watermelon is used (such as fruit juices containing watermelon juice or extract, flavored yogurts and chocolates, flavored gums and sweets)!
• People with severe allergies and sensitivities to watermelon must pay attention to the ingredients of food and commercially purchased juices and read their labels carefully.
• Due to the cross-reaction of allergens among some vegetables, a person who is sensitive to cantaloupe, melon or eggplant and cucumber should be careful in consuming watermelon.
• Due to the fact that different types of watermelon may be different from each other in terms of sensitizing, so in order to prevent the occurrence of allergic reactions, you should be careful when consuming different types of watermelon!
• In case of allergy to watermelon, skin contact with the juicy tissue of watermelon should be avoided!
• It is better to avoid consuming watermelon or fruit juices containing watermelon as much as possible during the peak pollination season of plants, especially ambrosia weed (during summer and early autumn).
• It is recommended to avoid severe and sudden complications of watermelon allergy, especially in children, to consume a small amount of watermelon first, and if no allergic reactions occur, you can use larger amounts of watermelon.
• It is recommended to use watermelon, cantaloupe, and cantaloupe with caution when there are symptoms of respiratory allergy and plant pollen allergy (such as sneezing, coughing, itching and runny nose and eyes)!
• A person who is sensitive to watermelon should be careful when using some cosmetics that contain watermelon extract!