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What is peanut allergy?
Peanut allergy occurs when your immune system develops allergy-type antibodies to peanut proteins. Your immune system mistakenly identifies the proteins as something harmful. The next time you come in contact with peanuts, these antibodies recognize it and signal your immune system to release chemicals such as histamine into your bloodstream, which leads to the signs and symptoms of an allergic response. Scientists aren't sure why some people become allergic to peanuts and others don't.
Read more on www.mayoclinic.com
Also known as food allergy, nut allergy, Peanut Allergies, allergy, food, allergy, peanut, Peanut Hypersensitivity, Groundnut Hypersensitivity
peanut allergy information from trusted sources:
Peanut allergy
Peanut allergy is common and often appears in the first years of life. While many children outgrow allergies to other foods such as milk or eggs, most kids don't outgrow peanut allergy as they get older. Read more on
www.mayoclinic.com
Allergy, food
Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body's immune system. Allergic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and death. Tree nuts and peanuts are the leading causes of deadly allergic reactions called anaphylaxis. In adults, the foods that most often trigger allergic reactions include Read more on
www.nlm.nih.gov
Food Allergy
For someone with a food allergy, eating or swallowing even a tiny amount of a particular food can cause symptoms such as skin rash, nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea. Because the body is reacting to something that is otherwise harmless, this type of allergic reaction is often called a hypersensitivity reaction. Rarely, a severe allergic reaction can cause a life-threatening set of symptoms called anaphylaxis, or anaphylactic shock. Although about 25% of people believe they have a food allergy, only about 2.5% of adults and about 6-8% of children, mainly younger than 6 years, have true food allergies. The rest have what is known as food intolerancean undesirable reaction to a food that does not involve the immune system. Read more on
www.emedicinehealth.com
Allergy, food
A food allergy is a rapid and serious response to a certain food. If you have a food allergy, the antibodies in your immune system (the body's defence system) mistake a food for an ‘invader' and attack it. The antibodies normally involved in food allergies are called immune system antibodies (IgE). These release inflammatory substances into your body, causing unpleasant side effects. Read more on
www.nhs.uk
Food Allergy
The immune system is the body's way to protect itself from substances that it identifies as not its own. The immune system reacts to things that may cause disease, and fights them off. A food allergy happens when your immune system responds after you eat certain foods. Your body makes a mistake and thinks that a certain food is harmful. These foods may not bother other people. Read more on
www.pdrhealth.com
Peanut allergy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peanut allergy is a type of food allergy distinct from nut allergies. It is a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction to dietary substances from peanuts causing an ... Read more on
en.wikipedia.org
Peanut Allergy
Receiving a diagnosis of a peanut allergy can be frightening, especially with the prevalence of peanut butter in our society! Our son had a contact reaction ... Read more on
www.allergicchild.com
Peanut Allergy Facts, Symptoms - FAAN
Apr 8, 2010 ... Peanut allergy facts and symptoms. Peanuts are one of the most common food allergies, and they often find their way into things you wouldn't ... Read more on
www.foodallergy.org
Peanut Allergy-Overview
Mar 9, 2009 ... What is a peanut allergy?A peanut allergy is a reaction that occurs when your body mistakenly identifies peanuts as harmful substances. Read more on
www.webmd.com
Peanut Allergy...The Shocking Facts - Allergies: Allergy Symptoms ...
Mar 11, 2011 ... Allergy to peanuts affects 1.3% of the general population. Peanut allergy affects 7 percent of brothers and sisters of persons with the ... Read more on
www.medicinenet.com
Contents
Medical advice
Talk to your doctor if you think you're allergic to peanuts or if you have peanut allergy symptoms. If possible, see your doctor while you have symptoms.
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www.mayoclinic.com
Prevention
The best way to prevent an allergic reaction to peanuts is to know and avoid foods that cause signs and symptoms. In some foods, peanuts may be well hidden. This is especially true in restaurants and in other social settings.
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www.mayoclinic.com
Risk factors
It isn't clear why some people develop allergies while others don't. However, people with certain risk factors have a greater chance of developing peanut allergy: Family members with allergies. You're at increased risk of peanut allergy if other allergies, especially other types of food allergies, are common in your family. Past allergy to peanuts. About one in five children with peanut allergy outgrow it. However, even if you seem to have outgrown peanut allergy, it may recur.
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www.mayoclinic.com
Symptoms
An allergic response to peanuts usually occurs within minutes after exposure, and signs and symptoms range from mild stomach or skin reactions to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that can constrict the airways and block breathing.
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www.mayoclinic.com
Tests and diagnosis
Your doctor will want to know your signs and symptoms and may want to conduct a physical examination to identify or exclude other medical problems. He or she may also recommend consultation with an allergist, who may request one or both of the following tests: Skin prick test. With this test, your skin is pricked and exposed to small amounts of the proteins found in peanuts to see if you have a skin response. If you're allergic, you develop a raised bump (hive) at the test location on your skin. Allergy specialists usually are best equipped to perform allergy skin tests. Blood test. A blood test (sometimes called the radioallergosorbent test, or RAST) can measure your immune system's response...
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Treatments and drugs
The only way to prevent an allergic reaction is to avoid peanuts and peanut proteins altogether. But peanuts are common, and despite your best efforts, you or your child is likely to come into contact with peanuts at some point.
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www.mayoclinic.com