Peanut and nut allergy

1. Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews… If you have a nut allergy, your immune system reacts specifically to the protein contained in one or more types of nuts. A small crumb can cause serious complaints.

1. With a food allergy, the immune system produces antibodies against proteins that occur in the diet. These are very 'normal' proteins that most people can tolerate. However, the body of an allergic person sees this â € normal proteinâ € ™ as an invader and therefore produces an antibody (IgE). This also releases the substance histamine; the substance responsible for the symptoms of an allergy.

Allergens

1. We call proteins that can induce allergic reactions allergens. Certain proteins in nuts and peanuts are therefore allergens. Sometimes only a tiny amount of an allergen is needed to trigger an allergic reaction. People who have a nut allergy are not automatically allergic to peanuts. Strictly speaking, peanuts are not nuts, but legumes. However, these two allergies often occur together.

How often does it occur?

1. About 3 in 100 people in the Western world have a peanut allergy. Nut allergy is somewhat rarer: it occurs in 0.4-1.4 percent of the adult world population. Heredity plays a major role in the development of allergic reactions. If both parents have an allergy, a child has an 80 percent chance of developing an allergy too.

Symptoms

1. A very small crumb of nut or peanut can cause serious complaints to someone who is allergic to it. In some foods, such as peanuts, inhaling the scent is sometimes enough to trigger a reaction. The most common reactions after eating peanuts and nuts are: Skin complaints: hives, hives, atopic eczema and fluid retention under the skin. Angioedema: fluid retention, especially locally on the face. especially under the eyes, on the lips and cheeks, angioedema occurs. If angioedema occurs in the throat, breathing can be blocked with all its consequences. Respiratory complaints: cough, ticklish cough, sneezing, wheezing, shortness of breath, mucus and asthma. Anaphylaxis: severe reaction that can eventually even cause shock. Of all foods, peanut most often leads to anaphylaxis.

Diagnose

1. Doctors do a blood test or skin prick test. However, these tests do not provide 100 percent clarity. A food challenge test is actually the gold standard for detecting a food allergy. First you make sure that you do not ingest any nuts and / or peanuts at all (the elimination). When the complaints diminish or disappear, you again eat a very small amount of the allergen (the provocation). If the complaints then return, an allergy has been demonstrated. You should always carry out such a food challenge test under the supervision of an expert. This allows it to intervene promptly and accurately if there are serious allergic reactions.

2. Doctors do a blood test or skin prick test. However, these tests do not provide 100 percent clarity. A food challenge test is actually the gold standard for detecting a food allergy. First you make sure that you do not consume any nuts and / or peanuts at all (the elimination). When the complaints diminish or disappear, you eat a very small amount of the allergen (the provocation). If the complaints then return, an allergy has been demonstrated. You should always carry out such a food challenge test under the supervision of an expert. This allows it to intervene promptly and accurately if there are serious allergic reactions.

Peanut and / or nut free food

1. If the diagnosis is peanut and / or nut allergy, you can take measures. There is no cure for peanut or nut allergy. You can grow over it. The best way to prevent complaints is to avoid foods with nuts. This is relatively easy when it comes to eating peanuts and nuts as a snack. It becomes more difficult when nuts and peanuts are used in products such as almond paste, marzipan, breakfast cereals, biscuits, bonbons, sauces, bouillons, pesto and marinades. And even peanut-derived ingredients can be found in products such as lotion, shampoo, detergent and cosmetics. In a factory, cross contamination can occur when a food (without peanuts or nuts) is processed near a product that does contain peanuts or nuts. For example, "traces" (very small amounts) of nuts may appear in the food if the machine is not properly cleaned. Nowadays the packaging must state whether a product is peanut or nut free or whether the product is made in a company that also processes nuts and peanuts.

2. If the diagnosis is peanut and / or nut allergy, you can take measures. There is no cure for peanut or nut allergy. You can grow over it. The best way to prevent complaints is to avoid foods with nuts. This is relatively easy when it comes to eating peanuts and nuts as a snack. It becomes more difficult when nuts and peanuts are used in products such as almond paste, marzipan, breakfast cereals, biscuits, bonbons, sauces, broths, pesto and marinades. And even peanut-derived ingredients can be found in products such as lotion, shampoo, detergent and cosmetics. In a factory, cross-contamination can occur when a food (without peanuts or nuts) is processed near a product that does contain peanuts or nuts. For example, "traces" (very small amounts) of nuts may appear in the food if the machine is not properly cleaned. Nowadays the packaging must state whether a product is peanut or nut free or whether the product is made in a company that also processes nuts and peanuts.

In an emergency

1. In anaphylactic shock it is important that epinephrine is administered as soon as possible. This adrenaline is injected (by a bystander) with an adrenaline pen. This causes the blood vessels to narrow again, making the injection a life-saver.