Yesterday when I ate a piece of banana, my lip swelled up. I have eaten bananas before without a problem. Will I continue to have this problem from now on?

Dr. Tobin: This will most likely continue to happen to some degree. Your reaction to the banana can be a sign of other allergies as well. Some people who are allergic to banana are also allergic to ragweed pollen, which causes hay fever from August to October. This is because the ragweed and banana share a protein to which the body has developed an allergy antibody. Some patients with a banana allergy are allergic to latex and other tropical fruits. This can be a serious allergy and is common in health care personnel, workers in rubber plants, and patients who have had multiple bladder surgeries.