Contents:
- Medical Video: Be Safe from Anaphylaxis-Mayo Clinic
- What causes someone to have a peanut allergy?
- What happens if people with peanut allergies eat peanuts?
- Who is at risk for peanut allergies?
Medical Video: Be Safe from Anaphylaxis-Mayo Clinic
Some of you may have different allergies. Some have allergies to certain foods, dust allergies, cold allergies, and so on. One of the most common types of allergies is allergies to certain foods. And, one of the foods that most often causes allergies is peanuts. Are any of you allergic to peanuts? Do you know why you can experience peanut allergies?
What causes someone to have a peanut allergy?
Allergies are related to your immune system. The normal immune system will fight infections from foreign substances that can harm the body.
Well, in people with peanut allergies, their immune systems are wrong in identifying proteins in nuts. The immune system thinks the protein in nuts is a dangerous foreign substance. So, the body will cause excessive reactions and release chemicals (such as histamine) into the blood.
This histamine can then affect various tissues in the body, such as the skin, eyes, nose, airways, lungs, digestive tract and blood vessels. Thus, various reactions arise in the body when the body is exposed to nuts. Yes, direct or indirect contact with peanuts can cause the body to release histamine and cause allergic reactions. This depends on the severity of your allergy.
The body can cause allergic reactions when exposed to nuts in various ways, such as:
- Direct contact, like eating nuts or foods that contain nuts. Sometimes, direct skin contact with nuts can trigger an allergic reaction.
- Cross contact, like eating food exposed to peanuts during processing.
- Inhale, allergic reactions can occur when you breathe air containing nuts, such as peanut flour. The peanut protein that is inhaled and enters your body can cause an allergic reaction.
What happens if people with peanut allergies eat peanuts?
Peanut allergies can occur to anyone, both children and adults. Someone with a peanut allergy can show an allergic reaction, even though he only eats a few peanuts or foods that contain nuts. The reaction from this allergy can appear from mild to severe, it can even threaten your life, which is called anaphylaxis.
This allergic reaction arises because the body secretes histamine compounds to fight foreign substances. Some common reactions that can arise are:
- Skin reactions: itching, red spots on the skin, swelling, and rashes
- Reactions to the respiratory tract: runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing
- Reactions to the digestive system: abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach cramps
- Itching around the mouth and throat
- Eyes itchy, runny or swollen
These reactions can appear several minutes to several hours after you eat nuts. The reactions that appear may vary between individuals. It all depends on your body. In fact, reactions can appear differently at different times in the same person.
Who is at risk for peanut allergies?
Until now it is not clear why there are people who are allergic to peanuts and some are not. However, there are some people who have a greater risk of developing this allergy than others. Some risk factors for peanut allergy are:
- Age. Food allergies are usually more common in children than adults.
- Have peanut allergy. Peanut allergies may be overcome by some children in the past. However, it is possible for a peanut allergy to recur.
- Have other allergies. If you have an allergy to one food, then your risk of experiencing allergies in other foods will increase.
- There are family members who have allergies. Your risk of experiencing a peanut allergy increases if one of your family members has an allergy, especially food allergies.
- Atopic dermatitis. Some people with atopic dermatitis usually have food allergies.
