Allergies/Dangers Associated With Eating Peanut

Few years after I was posted to Ketu Special Children Center; my present place of work, the nutrition department which I am part of, was faced with the challenge of raising the weight of our severely malnourished children. The idea of fortification popped into one of my colleagues and we decided to fortify the children’s meals with peanut butter. Without doubt, as professionals, we are aware of the allergy and numerous health benefits of the legume. We kick-started with a fact-finding mission to determine the level of tolerance in the children. Fortunately, none of the children showed any sign of allergies or intolerance.

Not quite long, one of our care givers who was on annual leave during the implementation period of peanut butter resumed duties. A diligent woman that she is, she did not waste time to start her work. She quickly picked one of the non ambulatory children’s meals in order to feed one of them. After feeding this young boy, the caregiver started scratching her body. Within few minutes, her entire skin had swollen. Then, we rushed her to our clinic. The long story was that she was allergic to groundnuts and was unaware that groundnut had been included into the children’s diet before she resumed. Else, she would have avoided it. This incident triggered the need for me to write on this article.

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Let me make it clear that the woman did not taste out of the blenderized meal, she only fed a child. What if she had tasted?

If I am not making any error, peanut allergy is perhaps one of the most serious and dangerous food allergies one can have. In some severe cases it has been found to be life threatening (Anaphylaxis). You cannot leave these reactions to chance. Once you discover you are allergic to any form of nut, do yourself a favour by visiting a Medical Doctor for further medical checkup. Let’s go ahead to describe some terms.

Short Description of Peanut Allergy:

According to WebMD, peanut allergy is a reaction that occurs when your body mistakenly identifies peanuts as harmful substances. When you eat peanuts or food containing peanuts, your immune system —the body’s natural defense system that fights infections and diseases —overreacts and can cause a serious, even life-threatening response. I am sure you can relate this definition with the scenario narrated earlier in this article.

So, What Causes Peanut Allergy?

The immune system determines the type of response your body will give based on the toxicity or otherwise of ingested items. In this situation the immune system overreacts and releases chemicals into the blood. Once they get into the blood, the chemicals have the ability to affect different organs in the body such as skin, nose, lungs etc. In most cases, it is unclear why these reactions occur in some individuals.

What Are The Symptoms Peanut Allergic Reaction?

The symptoms of peanut allergy can be a mere tingling sensation in the mouth followed by swelling of the face, throat, skin and mouth. This can also lead to difficulty in breathing, an asthma attack, anaphylactic shock and death. Less severe reactions include rashes, itches and stomach upset.

ADVICE: Once you have noticed any of the above symptoms any time you consume peanut, you will do yourself a great favour by avoiding all other nut products, including pressed nut oils and any products processed on the same equipment as nuts. This allergy is so severe that even minute amount of peanut can trigger a dangerous allergic reaction. Also, check the labels of packaged foods to see if nuts have been included in any form.

It is also in record that some people outgrow peanut allergies while others do not. For individuals who were diagnosed with peanut allergy at infant, they stand a chance to get over it than those who developed it from age three and above who might live with the allergy forever. Whichever way, speak to a medical professional.