Nut Allergy

So, you or your children have reacted to nuts. Nut allergy is a type of food allergy. Nut allergy is an increasingly recognized problem, especially in children. Nut allergy can sometimes progress rapidly to anaphylaxis. If you suffer from a nut allergy, strictly avoiding nuts can give you relief. The nuts that cause nut allergy include:

Almonds, Brazil nuts, Cashew nuts, Hazelnuts, Macadamia nuts, Pecans and Walnuts

If you are sensitive, in some rare conditions all these nuts can cause anaphylaxis. If your nut allergy is to one type of nut then there is a chance that you may also be allergic to other nuts. If you are suffering with nut allergy, you need to be very careful to avoid nuts and unrefined nut oil.

Nut allergy may have any of the following effects:

Asthma symptoms; abdominal pain; diarrhea; extreme low blood pressure in a very rare condition; faintness and unconsciousness; formation of hives where the nuts touch you; hives; hoarse voice; itchiness on the lips or mouth; lightheadedness; swelling in the areas where the nuts touch you; swelling in the throat, hence difficulty in swallowing or breathing; tightness of the throat; utricaria and itchiness where the nuts touch you; vomiting; death due to obstruction of breathing

While diagnosing a nut allergy, the doctor will ask you and your child some questions such as, how often you or your children have the reaction, how much time the symptoms take to appear, or are there any of your family members who have allergies such as nut allergy or conditions like eczema and asthma.

The diagnosis for nut allergy involves skin test or blood test, depending on your age and condition. The suspected allergen is placed on your skin and the skin is pricked with a plastic toothpick-like instrument. If you’d have a nut allergy then the reaction will develop within 20 minutes.

Skin test for the diagnosis of nut allergy can also be done by injecting the suspected allergen under the skin with a needle. You should not take over-the-counter antihistamines 2 to 3 days before the nut allergy test, since they can interfere with the results. Cold medication such as antidepressants can also affect nut allergy skin test.

Blood test can also be performed to check the antibodies for specific allergen. If the skin and blood test do not give positive results for nut allergy then in rare cases, a food change may be considered for final diagnosis.

Treatment for nut allergy: There is no real cure for any type of allergy. The only way to cope with allergies like nut allergy is to know the foods that trigger the allergies and avoid them. You should check all the labels for nut allergy in foods, medicines, cosmetics, creams, and ointments. Avoid fried foods, because they may be made with nut oil or may contain hidden nuts.

You can also use epinephrine to ease your nut allergy reaction.

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