Peanut Allergy 101: Part One

“Your child has a peanut allergy.” At first, it may feel like the world suddenly got a lot smaller and a lot scarier. You may feel overwhelmed, unsure where to begin, and wonder how this will change your child’s life and your own.

That reaction is completely normal, and as you’re processing what every snack, classroom, birthday party and playdate is going to look like, know that you are not alone. Thousands of families walk this path every day, and there are ways to move forward with confidence and care. While there are adjustments that you’ll need to make, this diagnosis doesn’t mean your child’s (or your family’s) life has to be defined by fear.

Understanding Peanut Allergy

A peanut allergy happens when your child’s immune system mistakenly sees peanut proteins as dangerous when eaten. Most allergic reactions to food occur when the person eats the food. It’s not by being in the same house, same room or walking by the allergen. This is an important point to keep in mind as you’re adjusting to living with this diagnosis because this is often misunderstood: Touching, smelling or inhaling peanut particles rarely causes a severe reaction.

However, because allergic reactions can be unpredictable, ranging from mild (like hives or itching) to potentially severe, life-threatening anaphylaxis, which can affect breathing and blood pressure, the goal is to be prepared, recognize symptoms and treat quickly. More on this in a bit.

The most important part of the diagnosis is making sure you have the right diagnosis. Food allergy testing can be helpful to confirm suspicious reactions when peanut products have been eaten, but the skin and or lab testing for peanut is not perfect and needs to be interpreted carefully in the setting of that individual and the reaction to peanut. Allergy testing is not a useful screening test and should not be done “just to see if you’re allergic.”

Click here to continue learning about peanut allergy, how to manage it and why you should be prepared.