|
|
| Allergies Home » Types of Allergies » Food Allergies » Peanut Allergy |
|
Peanut Allergy |
|
Peanut Allergy – an Introduction
Peanut Allergy is the type of food allergy that is caused due to the hypersensitivity to the dietary substances from peanuts which cause overreaction of the immune system. Completely different from nut allergies, Peanut Allergy affects a large number of people throughout the world every year. Peanut Allergy can be very serious in nature and can even be life-threatening in nature in not treated properly at the right time. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the majority of the pediatric and adult food allergy patients suffer from Peanut Allergy. Though the Peanut Allergy is usually treated with an exclusion diet and avoiding the harmful foods that may contain substances causing this sort of food allergies, there can be some serious types of Peanut Allergies like anaphylaxis which needs immediate attention and can be treated with epinephrine.
Causes of Peanut Allergy
Like all other food allergies, Peanut Allergy is caused by the malfunction of the immune system. The immune system treat the peanuts as harmful elements for the body and hence overreacts. As a result, it start producing immunoglobulin E (IgE) in order to neutralize the peanut protein, known as allergen. When these Immunoglobulin E antibodies again come in contact with the peanuts, those recognize the peanuts and send signals to the immune system. According to the signals received from IgE, the immune system releases histamine and other chemicals into the bloodstream, which cause a range of allergic signs and symptoms.
The causes of Peanut Allergy can be categorized in three types. Peanut Allergy can occur through exposure to peanuts either, direct contact, cross-contact or inhalation.
Symptoms of Peanut Allergy
There can be different types of symptoms that one may experience when getting affected with Peanut Allergy. The symptoms of Peanut Allergy depends upon the action of Immunoglobulin E and other anaphylatoxins, as they are responsible to release histamine and other mediator substances from the mast cells. The symptoms of Peanut Allergy would include vomiting, diarrhea, urticaria, angioedema, acute abdominal pain, asthma, anaphylactic shock, exacerbation of atopic eczema etc.
|
Treatment of Peanut Allergy
Peanut Allergy should be taken very seriously as, if not paid proper attention, it can get deadly. The best way to elude Peanut Allergy is to avoid peanuts and peanut proteins. Proper medications, like antihistamines, could also be very helpful to cope with Peanut Allergy. In case of any emergency, adrenaline injection can also be used. Whatever may be the treatment, once you detect Peanut Allergy, you should immediately contact your physician.
For more information on Food Allergies, please go through the site www.allergieshub.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
