What are You Should Know About Peanut Allergies ?

Peanut allergies are very common in people. Its prevalence rate is 0.6% (1.8 billion people) in the United States. Although this allergy can occur at any stage, it mainly appears in the early years of life. While allergies to milk or eggs disappear when a kid enters adulthood, peanut allergies stay with a person for his entire lifetime. A shocking report in 2012 also revealed that nearly 75 people in the United States die from this allergy each year.

So isn't it better to know everything about peanut allergies before it's too late?

What are the Basic Symptoms?

The most common symptoms of peanut allergies are:

• Loss of consciousness or Dizziness
• Diarrhea or Stomach cramps
• Wheezing or Coughing
• Swelling in the throat, tongue or mouth
• New rash, Eczema or Hives

What are the Common Causes?

Peanut allergies can appear in three different ways. These ways are:

Inhalation: A reaction can take place if an affected person inhales aerosol or dust that has peanut-oil cooking spray or peanut flour.

Cross Contact: This can happen when there is an unintentional introduction of peanuts into a product. A popular example is eating a food product that got exposed to peanuts during the processing or handling process.

Direct Contact: The most common cause is eating peanuts or peanut-based products. Moreover, recent researches also show that skin contact with peanuts can also give rise to this allergy.

Ways to Avoid Peanut Allergies

#1. Prevent Exposure at Home: Home is the best place to begin the prevention procedure. If you have an affected person at home, make sure that you use peanut-free cookware and utensils while cooking his or her foods. You also need to use proper towels and wash your hands before cooking.

#2. Stay Prepared when Outside: You need to carry an epinephrine pen and the emergency contact information. You can also download special software like the allergy EHR software on your Smartphone. If you and the affected person are eating in a restaurant, make it a point to alert the servers and the chefs.

#3. Make Safer Food Choices: You need to read the labels of food products you are buying to make sure that they do not contain peanuts. Instead of peanut butter, you can use soy butter or sunflower butter. Instead of peanut oil, you can use vegetable oil or canola oil when frying foods.

Conclusion

If you take good care of yourself or the affected person, peanut allergies cannot bother a healthy lifestyle. So you need to remember all the points mentioned above and stay strong and disciplined.