SATURDAY, Sept. 22, 2001 (HealthDayNews) -- When Inyanga Mack was a baby, her face was often covered with an angry rash. It wasn't until years later that the cause was identified.
"My mom loved chocolate-covered peanuts," says Mack, a doctor and assistant professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. "She ate them all the time. When I breast-fed, I'd break out."
Ranked as the most potent food allergen, peanuts - which can be fatal to some -- have caused allergic reactions in people who have done nothing more than smelled the aroma of a freshly opened bag. Other people have gotten sick from eating a peanut-free food because it had been prepared in the same bowl as another dish with peanuts in it.
Current estimates are that about 0.5 percent of Americans are allergic to peanuts. That compares with 2.5 percent of the population who are allergic to milk, 1.3 percent who are allergic to eggs, and 0.5 percent who are allergic to shellfish, the other most common food allergies.
The symptoms of a peanut allergy reaction can vary dramatically, based on how allergic someone is to the nuts, says Dr. Michael C. Young, an allergist and author of The Peanut Allergy Answer Book. Whatever is going to happen, though, will happen quickly, and most allergic people will have a reaction the first time they're exposed.
"Usually, it's so potent. Within minutes of ingestion, you can get a reaction," Young says. "The most common reaction relates to the skin around the face and mouth area."
Typical, milder symptoms include hives around the mouth and lips and itching of the throat. Sufferers can also experience nausea, vomiting, heartburn and diarrhea.
Severe symptoms include wheezing, breathing trouble and anaphylaxis, an acute, systemic reaction that can cause death within minutes.
The widespread use of peanuts, peanut butter and peanut oil in foods makes it critical for those with a severe peanut allergy to read labels, ask questions, and carry an epinephrine kit with them at all times. Unlike some other food allergies, most people who are allergic to peanuts don't outgrow it.
Parents whose children seem to have persistent problems with asthma, eczema and hay fever should investigate to make sure it's not an allergic reaction to peanuts, nutritionist Jay Cooper says.
If a child is allergic to peanuts, there's a good chance he'll also be allergic to tree nuts, like walnuts, pecans and almonds. Those are all common in cakes, cookies, brownies, candy and ice cream.
Extra caution is needed at restaurants and family gatherings because the peanut is "a good protein source and it's a good oil source, especially in Asian cuisine," says Cooper, who is the director of wellness at the Green Valley Spa in St. George, Utah.
"You have to be careful when you're eating out," Mack adds. "I discovered someone's secret recipe because I'm allergic to peanuts. I was eating rice and gravy and got sick. It turned out the person was putting peanut butter in the gravy."
Young and Cooper agree that education is critical for keeping a child with a peanut allergy healthy.
"What's good is this isn't an allergy that usually comes up suddenly when you're 12," Young says. "It happens in infancy. It's part of their life. He knows not to eat something he's unsure of. He can eat a grape, but not a candy bar. If you're looking for a silver lining, these kids learn to be more mature and more self-reliant than their peers. They're more responsible kids because they have to be."
What to Do: For more information on peanut allergies, visit the
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. For help with building a day-to-day health strategy, check out the About.com Peanut Allergy Management site.
