General Information
- Reactions to food are common and can be divided into two categories, those caused by food allergy and all other reactions
- Food allergies develop when the body's immune system has an abnormal reaction to one or more proteins in a food that can lead to serious allergic reactions
- Other food reactions are not caused by the immune system but can cause unpleasant symptoms (examples include lactose intolerance, heartburn, food poisoning, and sensitivities)
- Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies
- Peanuts grow in the ground and are from the legume family (also includes beans, peas, lentils, soybeans, lupine bean)
- Peanuts are different from tree nuts (ex almond, hazelnut, pecan, walnut, cashew, pistachio, Brazil nut, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, hickory nuts, shea nuts) which grow on trees
- Around 30% of patients with peanut allergy are also tree nut allergic
Peanut Avoidance
- Tell anyone with regular contact with you or your child about the allergy and avoidance of peanut
- Read labels every time you buy something. Manufacturers can change products at any time
- Be aware of cross contamination (transfer of peanut to a food that does not normally have peanut as an ingredient)
- Food ingredients that indicate or may indicate the presence of peanut protein:
- Arachide
- Goober nuts
- Nut meats
- Arachis oil
- Goober peas
- Nut pieces
- Beer nuts
- Ground nuts
- Peanut butter
- Cacahouete
- Kernels
- Peanut flour
- Cacahouette
- Mandelonas
- Peanut protein hydrolysate
- Cachuete
- Monkey nuts
- Valencias
- Some foods that contain or may contain peanut protein:
- Almond paste
- Energy bars
- Nut substitutes
- Baked goods (cake, cookies)
- Glazes
- Pastries
- Candy
- Granola bars
- Peanut oil (cold pressed)
- Cereals
- Hazelnut paste
- Satays
- Chili
- Hydrolyzed plant protein
- Sundae toppings
- Chinese food
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
- Szechuan sauce
- Chocolate / Candy bars
- Ice cream / frozen yogurt
- Thai food
- Curries
- Icing
- Trail mix
- Dried salad dressing
- Marzipan
- Vegetarian meat substitutes
- Egg rolls
- Nougat
- Vietnamese food
Allergic Reactions
- Symptoms often occur within minutes up to 2 hours of exposure to peanut
- Outside Symptoms
- Face: Redness, itchy eyes / nose, swelling
- Skin: Itching, redness, hives, swelling
- Inside Symptoms
- Face: Swelling lips and tongue, itchy mouth
- Throat: Itching, tightness, hoarse voice, cough
- Lungs: Trouble breathing, shortness of breath
- Stomach: Vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea
- General: Dizzy, unsteady, drowsy, fainting
- Not every reaction will look the same, a person can have different symptoms each time
- Symptoms range from mild to life threatening, there is no way to predict if the reaction will be mild or severe
- Anaphylaxis is a severe life threatening reaction with more than one body system affected (skin, breathing, stomach, general) and can occur WITHOUT skin symptoms such as hives
Treatment of Reactions
- Antihistamines such as Benadryl will NOT stop severe reactions
- An epinephrine auto-injector such as Allerject or EpiPen MUST be available at all times
- If you are visiting an area without access to a hospital you should have 2 auto-injectors available
- A medical identification device such a Medical Alert bracelet should be worn to outline the food allergy and that an epinephrine auto-injector is carried
- Give epinephrine in the outer thigh if there are any of the following symptoms (listed in the table on the previous page)
- General symptoms
- Severe outside symptoms
- Any inside symptoms
- If you are in doubt, give the epinephrine
- After epinephrine is given
- Lie down / lie your child down
- Call local emergency service and tell them someone is having an allergic reaction
- If the reaction continues or worsens, give a second dose of epinephrine in 5 - 15 minutes (there is only 1 dose of epinephrine in each auto-injector, a second dose requires a new autoinjector)
- Go to the nearest emergency room even if the symptoms are gone because the reaction can worsen or come back
- Stay in the hospital for at least 4 - 6 hours of observation
Outcomes for Peanut Allergic Patients
- About 20% of people outgrow the peanut allergy
- Repeat skin testing and blood work every 1 - 2 years will help determine if the allergy is outgrown
- An oral food challenge (eating peanut products in small steps ONLY in the doctors office) will be offered if your doctor feels it is safe
- Peanut products should NEVER be tried outside of a doctors office to see if the allergy is outgrown
Additional information: www.anaphylaxis.ca or www.foodallergy.org