(Editor’s note: Information for this story was derived from several medical sites on the Internet.)
by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
The most common cause of deaths in people with food allergies are peanuts, and it’s estimated anywhere from 0.6 to 1.4 percent of the population in the United States suffer from an allergenic reaction to peanuts. (See related story.)
Peanut allergies account for about 2,000 hospitalizations a year, but those allergic to peanuts account for only a portion of the 3.3 million people who are allergic to other kinds of nuts.
About 150 people die each year in the United States from some form of food allergy, including peanuts.
What alarms researchers is peanut allergies seem to be on the increase, especially among children. That is why, in recent years, people have become more aware of that particular allergy and why many places, such as on airlines, peanuts are no longer served.
Currently, there is no definitive treatment for peanut allergies, although researchers seem to be making progress about what exactly triggers the allergic reactions. Severe peanut allergies can trigger a reaction that can cause death through anaphylaxis. Like people allergic to bee stings, some sufferers of peanut allergies must carry an epinephrine auto-injector with them, such as an EpiPen, to self-administer a quick shot if the allergenic symptoms should suddenly appear.
Symptoms of a peanut allergy can include itching, facial swelling, vomiting, acute abdominal pain, diarrhea, asthma, eczema, an inability to breathe and even cardiac arrest.
For parents with children suffering from any kind of food allergy, communication with schools is vitally important. Food-allergy plans can be initiated, along with many other ideas to prevent those children from coming into contact with foods that trigger allergies, including peanuts.
To learn more about such plans, visit the following website: Livingwithfoodallergies.org
Peanuts can cause severe suffering – even death – in people who are allergic to them.
