ANSWERS: 3
-
If you have a peanut allergy, you should be aware that peanut butter can't be a part of your life.
-
Severity and order of symptoms depends on the person and may occur within minutes to hours. Tingling mouth and upset stomach are moderate reactions. Hives and swelling are serious. Vomiting and choking are severe. Shock and death are possible if not treated. If you are not sure, ask your doctor about an Epipen.
-
I actually don't know anyone with severe peanut allergy, but I went to school with a guy who had a severe cherry allergy, and he ate something that had a cherry in it once and he almost choked on his own throat (due to swelling). I saw something similar happen to a young man who was severely allergic to sunflower seeds as he ate a bread that didn't have sunflower seeds in it, but was made using sunflower oil. Generally acute allergies are driven by histamine, which is made by the immune system in response to the presence of a chemical the body has deemed to be toxic. As histamine comes into contact with tissues via the bloodstream, those tissues swell, sometimes uncontrollably, in order to restrict blood flow and prevent the offending particles from spreading. Unfortunately for someone who put something in their throat that causes extreme allergic reaction, this means swelling in the throat that can lead to strangulation.
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC