Q: A friend of mine is thinking of having a party at her house, but says she is not going to serve cookies or any kind of candy in case someone has a peanut allergy and sues her if they become sick. Is this precaution really necessary? Should I do the same thing when I have people over for coffee? When I was young we had never heard of anyone having peanut allergy.
A: There may be as many as 50-100 fatal reactions to peanuts in a year in North America, and eating the equivalent of just one or two nuts may be enough to cause a severe reaction.
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Approximately 1.5 million people in the United States – and 150,000 in Canada – are thought to have this condition, which is the most common form of food allergy.
The concern is mainly for young children who are not old enough to ask if a cookie might contain peanuts or peanut oil.
Older children and adults with severe peanut allergies are usually careful when eating in public or other peoples’ houses.
Chocolates and toffees may be a problem because factory equipment may not be cleaned thoroughly when switching from nutty candy to nut-free products. Even using a knife that has been previously used to spread peanut butter can cause an allergic reaction.
Precautions are now being taken in most schools to ban peanuts, peanut butter cookies or sandwiches.
Ask your visitors if they have any allergies before putting out the cookies. I have a cat and I always ask visitors if they are allergic. If they are, the cat goes outside or is put in another room.
Those who have a peanut allergy may be happy to know there is a new drug being tested that could help.
A team of researchers found that using medication with an anti-IgE antibody allowed participants in the study to eat more peanuts before reacting. They had to eat about nine peanuts before they began to react, as opposed to half a nut normally.
This study was published in the March 14, 2003 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Existing medications are only useful after the ingestion of the nuts and they do not always work.
They include epinephrine (as in the Epipen), antihistamines, bronchodilators and inhalers, or charcoal pills that absorb the offending substance.
Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with a practice near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding medical questions and treatments.
