A Peanut is a groundnut and is NOT a Treenut which includes almonda, walnuts,hazels, cashews and brazils . It is NOT related to coconuts or pine nuts .
Pine nuts are are SEEDS.
30 – 40 % of people that are allergic to PEANUTS are also allergic to TREENUTS even although treenuts and peanuts have no genetic link.
Studies have shown that children that are consistently fed peanut in the first year of life are LESS likely to develop peanut allergy than those that had it excluded from their diets .The symptoms of peanut allergy occur within minutes to 2 hours after ingesting or inhaling peanut protein and can present with itching , flushing, perioral tingling, urticaria, nausea , vomiting, rhinnorhea or eczema. Severe cases present with anaphylaxis where respiratory and cardiovascualr systems may be invloved and the reaction may be fatal .Specific IgE blood tests are useful for confirming peanut allergy and component testing may be helpful to determine the liklihood of a more severe reaction
Management – avoidance of peanut is manadatory in management and perhaps the avoidance of all nuts is prudent as peanuts may come into contact with other nuts during processing.
The adrenalin auto injector is a uselful device to carry in case of accidental peanut exposure and patients must be educated on the early signs of a severe reaction and educated on how to use it.
Reading of food labels and the help of a dietician may be useful .
