Peanut Allergy

A peanut allergy is the most common cause of life threatening allergic reaction. Reactions can range anywhere from mild symptoms to fatal or near fatal reaction. By understanding peanut allergy, you can reduce your risk of having a severe allergic reaction, and help protect affected family members as well.

Risk of peanut allergy increases with family history either of peanuts themselves or other food allergies. The first occurrence is most likely to happen to a child between the age of one or two, and may decrease with age, however some people never outgrow their peanut allergy. It is believed that reducing the exposure to nut containing foods during the first few years of life will reduce the chances of developing an allergy later in life.

So what is a peanut allergy?
The peanut allergy results from an immune system reaction to certain proteins in the peanut. For those who are particularly sensitive, even small amounts in food (direct exposure), eating a food that has had some sort of contact with peanuts during the packaging process (cross-contact exposure), or even exposure to the breath of someone eating peanuts (called inhalation exposure), is enough to set off an attack. Foods that are commonly responsible for causing a reaction include peanut butter, peanut flour, nuts, cookies and pastries, ice cream, energy bars, cereals and granola, grain breads, and chocolate bars (even those that do not contain whole nuts or pieces) .

Signs of peanut allergy may include red, itchy skin, swelling that spread to the throat, breathing difficulty and possibly unconsciousness leading to death if not treated immediately. The reaction may occur slowly (an hour or more after exposure to the allergen) or immediately following exposure, requiring prompt medical attention.

If you have a peanut allergy or have a child who does, you must be extremely diligent in checking the labels of packaged foods. Due to the increased occurrences of peanut allergies, food companies are required to indicate on their labels if the food contains peanuts or is manufactured in a plant that also processes peanuts or other nuts. Make your child's school aware of a peanut allergy, no matter how mild it has been in the past, so that they can recognize the signs and even prevent the child from having exposure to nuts. Some schools are even banning the traditional peanut butter sandwich, since so many children seem to have a peanut allergy to some degree.