Nut Allergy Information

Find out more about nut allergies, including symptoms, treatments and risk management strategies.

Peanut Allergy - The Basics

Nut allergy occurs when a person's body perceives nut protein as a harmful foreign body and produces an excessive response to combat the invader. The resulting symptoms vary from a tingling sensation in the mouth to anaphylactic shock. The latter form of reaction sends the body into profound shock (usually within minutes of exposure to the allergen) and requires emergency medical treatment to prevent fatal consequences. Anaphylaxis is relatively rare and some people only ever suffer mild symptoms when exposed to nuts. However the unpredictable nature of nut allergy means that all reactions should be treated seriously.

Symptoms to watch out for include:

Mild
- Swelling of lips, mouth or eyes
- Sneezing
- Rash (occurring after around 20 minutes)
- Tingling or itching in or around mouth
Moderate
- Tingling or itching in throat
- Rapidly-ocurring rash
- Wheezing or tightness in chest area
Severe
- Tightness in throat
- Swelling of tongue or throat
- Hoarse voice/difficulty breathing/swallowing Dizziness, fainting or losing consciousness

Following diagnosis of a nut allergy, the patient is referred to a clinic for testing and ongoing care.

Prescribed treatments for attacks include:

Antihistamines e.g. Piriton syrup
Asthma inhaler e.g. Salbutamol (ventolin) inhaler
Adrenaline inhaler e.g. Primatene
Adrenaline injector e.g. Epipen/Anapen

Diet Changes

The main way to cope with a nut allergy is to change the patient's diet to avoid any foods containing nuts. This includes avoiding all products with 'trace' warnings on the labelling e.g. may contain traces of nuts. These may have been contaminated with nuts at some point in the production process. Please see risk management strategies for suggestions on avoiding nuts in different situations.

Why Me?

There are certain groups of people who are more sensitive to foreign bodies invading their system and possess high levels of the antibodies responsible for allergic reactions (Immunoglobulin E - IgE). They are termed atopic. Nut-allergy sufferers often have a family history of conditions such as asthma, eczema, hay fever or other allergies and may suffer from multiple conditions.

Suggested theories on the cause of nut allergy involve sensitisation to nut protein in infancy and are blamed on:

The increased use of peanut ingredients in prepared foods
The presence of peanut protein in certain infant milk formula
Peanut oil in nipple cream for breast-feeding mothers
Consumption of nuts by pregnant and nursing mothers
The use of peanut butter as a weaning food

No theory has been proved conclusively and as nut allergy continues to increase amongst the adult population it is clear that more research is necessary.

......continue on to risk management strategies.