Peanut Allergy Can Be Life Threatening
April 7th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Estimated to affect 1.5 million Americans, peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies that accounts for up to 80% of fatal or near-fatal allergic reactions each year.
Peanut allergy is one form of food allergy, and as such, the causes, symptoms and treatment are similar to food allergies. Please read “Common Food Allergies & How to Deal with Them”.
The difference is in the type of food allergens (type of food that causes allergic reactions).
Symptoms of Peanut Allergy
Symptoms appear in a few minutes to a couple of hours after ingestion and include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Hives
- Wheezing
- Abdominal cramps
- Swellings of lips, throat and face
- Anaphylaxis (an immune system response that causes breathing difficulties and often lead to death if untreated)
Peanut Allergy Causes
Sources of peanut allergen are:
- Peanuts
- Peanut butter
- Ice cream
- Desserts
- Cereals and muesli
- Peanut oil
- Cookies
- Satay sauces (a type of spicy sauce containing peanut bits) and gravies
- Asian dishes (peanut is a common ingredient)
- Granola and energy bars
- Chocolate (with peanuts or nuts in it)
- Cocktail nuts (mixed nuts)
- Nougat
- Marzipan
- Candy bars with nuts (Snickers, Mars, Hersheys)
People who have peanut allergies are also usually allergic to tree nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, etc.
Be sure to read labels of all foods to find out the ingredients and look out for peanuts or nuts. Be aware if the labels describe the processing methods using products with peanuts or nuts. Some may contain traces of peanuts or nuts not evident at first sight. If unsure, it’s safest to avoid.
Peanut Allergy & Peanut Intolerance
Just as there are food allergy and food intolerance, there are peanut allergy and peanut intolerance.
For peanut allergy, just trace amounts of peanuts can set off the body’s immune system and cause symptoms to appear in a few minutes to a couple of hours.
In peanut intolerance, the body can tolerate small amounts of peanuts and might cause mild symptoms like heartburn and indigestion. It’s a digestion response and NOT an immune system response.
Treatment
As there’s no cure for peanut allergy, the best treatment is strict avoidance of peanuts and other tree nuts. Unfortunately, it is not common for people to outgrow their peanut allergy.
Medication to control symptoms includes anti-histamines but for more serious symptoms like anaphylaxis, epinephrine injection must be administered. This injection comes in the form of a pen that can carried. After receiving the epinephrine shot, the patient should go to the hospital for observation. This is to ensure the condition is under control.
How to Deal with Peanut Allergy
For parents of children with peanut allergy, it is imperative to take certain precautions and preparations to make life easier:
- Avoid fried foods that use peanut oils.
- Educate the child on how to read labels of foods and on what is safe and what to avoid.
- Make lists of safe and unsafe foods and have the child carry them.
- Make home-prepared foods that do not contain peanuts or nuts. Include sandwiches.
- Always have safe foods as snacks in the child’s bag or backpack. This ensures the child has something to munch on and not grab anything from the store when hunger strikes suddenly.
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Common Food Allergies and How to Deal With Them
March 26th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
The most common food allergies occur most frequently in children, but it is possible for adults to develop them as well. A food allergy occurs when an immune system responds adversely to certain type of food proteins that it mistakenly believes are harmful. When that happens, allergic reactions occur and allergic symptoms appear. This food protein that triggers this allergic reaction is known as food allergen.
An individual may be allergic to any food, but there are 8 types of food that account for over 90% of all food allergies. These types of food are:
1. Eggs,
2. Milk,
3. Peanuts,
4. Tree nuts (nuts from trees, like walnut, cashew, pecan, almond, etc.)
5. Fish,
6. Shellfish (shrimp, mussel, clam, oyster, lobster, prawn, etc.)
7. Soy, and
8. Wheat
Symptoms of Common Food Allergies
Common food allergies symptoms can begin within minutes to a couple of hours after consuming the food allergens. These following are symptoms from common food allergies:
1. Tingling sensation in the mouth,
2. Swelling of soft tissues like the tongue, lips and throat,
3. Skin rashes (hives and eczema),
4. Stomach cramps,
5. Nausea and vomiting,
6. Diarrhea,
7. Sneezing and coughing,
8. Difficulty in breathing,
9. Loss of consciousness and
10. Anaphylaxis, a severe, whole-body allergic reaction that can result in death.
When food allergens first enter the digestive system of someone with food allergies, the body produces an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE) which circulates in the blood stream. This antibody, IgE attaches to a particular type of cells called mast cells.
There won’t be any symptoms on this first exposure to the common food allergens. On subsequent exposures, the food allergens will trigger the IgE attached to mast cells to produce histamines and other chemicals which then produces the symptoms.
Mast cells are found in the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tracts and skin. Depending on which part of the body’s mast cells produces the chemicals, determines the type of symptoms one will get.
Common Food Allergy Causes and Risk Factors
Hereditary plays a big part in the reason why someone has an allergy including food allergy. If both the parents have an allergy, the child has a probability of about 75% to develop an allergy as well. If one parent is allergic, the probability drops to about 35%. If none of the parents are allergic, the probability is about 15%.
Food allergy is believed to be more readily developed in people with a combination of diseases, such as asthma, rhinitis, eczema and conjunctivitis.
Food Allergy Not To Be Confused With Food Intolerance
Food allergy is an immune system response while food intolerance is a digestive system response. Food allergy occurs when the immune system treats certain types of food as a threat to the body and responds by releasing antibody.
Food intolerance occurs when certain foods irritate the digestive system or when the foods cannot be digested properly or broken down. Lactose intolerance is the most common example when some people lack the enzymes to properly digest milk and other diary products.
While symptoms for both are similar, small amount of food will bring on the symptoms every time for food allergies. People with food intolerance may not have symptoms unless a large amount of the food is consumed.
Treatment and How to Deal With Food Allergies
To treat common food allergies, a diagnosis on the type of foods that causes the allergy has to be made. To find out what type of food causes the allergy, there are 2 main types of tests to be conducted:
1. Skin prick test – Diluted amounts of different food extracts are placed on the skin and then the skin is lightly punctured. Within about 20 minutes, a positive reaction will result in a raised, red bump, similar to a mosquito bite. This test is usually cheaper than the next test;
2. Blood test – Blood samples are taken and RAST (Radio Allergo Sorbent Test) determines the presence of IgE antibody to a particular food allergen
Once the particular type or types of food allergens are determined, the best treatment for food allergy is strict avoidance of the food culprits.
Currently, there is no medication that can cure food allergies.
To avoid food allergens, be sure to read the labels on food packaging to look out for any offending food.
If the offending food allergen is consumed and brings on symptoms, Epinephrine is the medication of choice in controlling a severe reaction.
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Asthma Information & Treatment
March 24th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the respiratory system or more specifically the airways. Airways (also called bronchial tubes) are the tubes that transport air in and out of our lungs.
When asthma strikes, the airways become inflamed and constrict with accompanying excess mucus and results in narrowed airways. This often happens when allergic-susceptible people comes into contact with one or more triggers. These triggers include exposure to environmental allergens like cold or warm air, perfume, cigarette smoke, pollen, polluted and moist air. Exertion and exercise, as well as emotional are possible triggers.
Symptoms during an asthma attack include:
1. coughing,
2. wheezing (a whistling sound as a result of breathing difficulty),
3. shortness of breath,
4. chest tightness and
5. faster breathing.
Not all asthma-prone people will experience the same symptoms or may even vary with one asthma attack from another.
Severe asthma attacks can lead to medical emergencies and can cause fatalities. A victim of a severe asthma attack may turn blue from lack of oxygen, experience chest pains and lose consciousness.
Risk Factors & Causes
Anyone can get asthma, especially children and people prone to allergies.
Both genetic and environmental factors can be risk factors for asthmatics (people who has asthma). A combination of both factors makes it complex and is not fully understood by medical researchers yet.
Genetic factors – can’t be controlled and can include the following:
1. If one or both parents has a history of asthma, the child is more likely to develop it as well. If the parent with asthma happens to be the mother, the likelihood that the child will have asthma is higher than if the father has it.
2. Boys are more likely to have asthma compared to girls during childhood. But this is reverse in adulthood, meaning women are more likely than men to develop asthma.
3. People with other allergies have an increased chance of having asthma.
4. Although hygiene hypothesis is a theory about the cause of asthma, and is supported by data to be so, asthma prevalence has been observed in developed countries with increasing use of antibiotics and cleaning products. In modern society, there is reduced exposure to infections
Environmental factors – can be controlled and reduced, includes:
1. Allergens that comes from nature like pollen, dust mites, pet hair, cockroaches and mold,
2. Colds and flu,
3. Air pollutants such as smoke, dust and fumes,
4. Weather conditions like cold, warm and moist air,
5. Antibiotics use in childhood (this has something to do with the digestive system’s good bacteria being altered with the antibiotics, causing imbalance),
6. Certain types of food like peanuts, shrimps, etc.
7. Certain medications, and
8. Physical exertions, exercise and emotional stress.
Treatment
Before deciding on the types of treatment for asthmatics, it is crucial to identify the triggers, such as certain type of food or type of air pollutants.
The first line of treatment is avoidance. After identifying the triggers of asthma, it’s best to avoid those allergens like pollen, smoke, fumes and cold air. Cigarette second-hand smoke and automobile exhaust fumes being as prevalent as they are, it’s difficult if not impossible to avoid them at all times. So when it becomes impossible to escape such allergens and asthma attacks strike, medication is the next line of treatment.
Asthma medication has 2 main functions when trigger avoidance becomes difficult or impossible.
The 2 main functions of asthma medication are relief and prevention.
Relief medication
Relief medication comes in 2 main forms, oral and inhaled. Occasionally, an injection of the medication can be administered, but this method has declined due to adverse side effects.
Of the 2 forms of relief medication, the inhaled delivery method is the preferred. The inhaled delivery method is the delivery of bronchodilators directly to the airways with an inhaler. A measured dose is delivered to the airways via the mouth, directly to the inflamed airways. This relaxes the tightened muscles surrounding the airways within minutes and bronchodilators can be classified as quick-relief medication. This is taken when the first signs of asthma are apparent.
Prevention medication
If the inhaler is used more than twice a week, a more long-term solution should be sought as this is a sign that the asthma is not under controlled.
Long-term medication calls for daily administering of long-term control medicine, usually inhaled corticosteroids, for controlling mild, moderate and severe asthma. This has a preventive effect as inhaled corticosteroids have suppressing effects on inflammation and reduces swelling of the airways. The other long-acting medication is the inhaled beta-agonists. This medicine is used for relaxing the muscles surrounding the airways but is not anti-inflammatory. They are normally used with corticosteroids.
As these medications are steroids, a doctor’s prescription is needed.
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Allergy: Not A Problem To Be Sneezed At
March 15th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Allergies, listed as the 6th leading cause of chronic disease in the US affecting more than 50 million people, is not a problem to be sneezed at. Although allergies are a wide-spread problem, the reasons why some people have a reaction to certain substances while others do not, are still not entirely certain.
While allergies can be bothersome and sometimes even life-threatening, not only with the reactions one can get, but finding the cause can be tiresome as well.
Common allergies and their symptoms can be broadly categorized into outdoor and indoor allergy triggers. Both outdoor and indoor trigger allergies can make your life really miserable so be aware of the things that could trigger your allergic reactions.
One of the most common outdoor trigger allergies is hay fever, caused by allergy to pollen. Pollen, which may come from trees, weeds, grasses and shrubs, are technically a harmless powdery substance. But when inhaled by people who are allergic to the different types of pollen, they may develop allergic rhinitis and asthma. Symptoms may include sneezing, runny nose, blocked nose, nasal congestion and nasal inflammation.
Pollen, being small and light, tends to cling to the moisture in the air in humid climate and stays suspended longer and cause more sufferings. Windy days make condition worse.
Indoor trigger allergies tend to occur in windowless, polluted apartments with poor ventilation. Allergens like dust, mold and mites are usual culprits, although pet hair can be another major cause of allergic reactions. This brings on similar symptoms to outdoor trigger allergies.
Causes
2 main factors of allergies can be categorized into host and environmental factors. Host factors include sex, age, race and hereditary; with hereditary being the most crucial factor. Environmental factors can be exposure to infectious diseases during childhood, dietary and environmental pollution.
Allergies are commonly believed to be caused by immune problems when foreign bodies or allergens enter the body and are detected and perceived to be a threat. The perceived intruder (allergens) triggers the body’s defense system to combat this threat.
On first exposure to the allergens, white blood cells produces antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies and attach themselves to Mast cells found in the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract and skin. This first exposure produces no outward symptoms. On subsequent exposures, the allergens will combine with the IgE antibodies and produces chemicals like histamines. It is these chemicals that cause inflammation and the typical allergic symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, itching, watery eyes, skin rashes and even swelling of certain parts of the body.
Other common types of allergies are asthma, food, skin and drug allergy. These types of allergies produce different symptoms to different parts of the body. To know what you’re allergic to, a diagnosis has to be made.
Diagnosis
There are a few tests that help determine if a person’s symptoms are caused by allergies but the most reliable is the skin prick test, conducted under the watchful eye of an allergy specialist. Allergens known to cause allergies, such as pollen, peanut extract, mite proteins and grass, are injected into the skin through a series of needles and the reaction to the individual allergens are monitored to verify the reaction. Once a cause is determined, the person can take steps to avoid exposure to that item.
Allergy skin testing is preferred over blood allergy tests because it is more sensitive and specific, simpler to use, and less expensive.
Treatment
The best treatment obviously is to avoid the allergens that will trigger the allergic reactions or to reduce exposure. For instance, people who are allergic to pet hairs should do well to avoid having pets. However, there are some allergens which are difficult if not impossible to avoid, such as pollen, dust and dust mites.
Failing the avoidance treatment, medication is the next option.
Basically there are 2 approaches to the medication treatment:
1. Pharmacotherapy – This uses medication to suppress or reduce the severity of the allergic reactions. This treatment alleviates the symptoms but do not cure the core problem.
2. Immunotherapy – This involves injections of allergen extracts in increasing dosage to “desensitize” the person to allergens. This may cure the allergy but it could take as long as a few years and the treatment is not pleasant.
