Peanut butter allergies

This allergy accounts for over three-fourths of all deaths related to food allergies each year.

Peanut Allergy Symptoms

Symptoms vary from individual to individual. There are three main categories of symptoms: skin (hives, eczema, red and swollen mouth); gastrointestinal tract (stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting); and respiratory (itchy, watery nose, sneezing, and symptoms associated with asthma, like coughing and wheezing).

Up to six percent of women develop a food allergy by the age of two, with children showing signs of peanut allergies as early as a couple of months old. Peanuts are not recommended for children under two years old.

The Severity of Allergic Reactions

Eighty percent of people have a reaction to peanuts that involves breathing problems and multiple areas of the body. People with a severe peanut allergy can have a reaction to peanut traces left on a wiped counter top, cutlery or plate. Known as anaphylaxis, this type of reaction is a sudden, severe allergic reaction that can be fatal. Such a reaction involves different parts of the body (skin, respiratory tract, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems).

Symptoms of anaphylaxis appear within minutes of eating the offensive food. Symptoms include itchiness, a metallic taste in the mouth, tingling, hives, swelling in the mouth and throat, and asthma. Anaphylaxis can also result in a coma.

Epi-pens (Epinephrine) is a drug used to treat anaphylaxis and should be used immediately when a reaction occurs or is thought to occur. Once an epi-pen has been administered, it is necessary to immediately go to a hospital for observation, as an allergic reaction could re-occur hours later. If you live more than 20 minutes away from a hospital, you should have two epi-pens with you at all times in case you need to re-administered the epinephrine after a reaction.

Allergy Relief: New Treatments and Prevention

At the Duke Medical Center, a desensitization (immunotherapy) study found that after administering a small, precise quantity of peanut flour to children every day—a dose that was slowly increased—the children's sensitivity to peanut flour slowly diminished.

That means that avoidance is, at present, the only proven treatment in fighting peanut allergies. People with peanut allergies must avoid not only eating and touching peanuts, but foods containing peanuts, including peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies and chili. They should also avoid people who are eating peanuts.
Checking labels carefully for peanut-based ingredients is also important in reducing the risk of a reaction to peanuts.

Peanuts and Pregnant and Nursing Women
While studies have not found a conclusive link between the maternal consumption of peanuts and a peanut allergy in their infants, experts warn that this is not sufficient evidence to prove that there is no risk associated with eating peanuts while pregnant. Experts recommend pregnant women avoid a high consumption of peanuts.

On the other hand, a maternal history of asthma, peanut allergies, and allergies to foods other than peanuts significantly increases the risk of an infant's susceptibility to developing a peanut allergy.

There is a lack of information on infant sensitization to peanuts because of eating peanuts while breastfeeding. But women with either a personal history of or close relationship to someone with peanut allergies are advised not to eat peanuts while breastfeeding due to an elevated risk to their infants.


peanut butter allergy