Baseball stadiums host an all-American pastime, but for some they also host an all-American terror. Peanuts. The ground-grown legumes strike fear into the hearts of thousands of peanut-allergy suffers every day. "Allergic reactions to peanuts by those who suffer such allergies tend to be very severe and can be triggered by even minimal exposure to peanuts," said Dr. Scott Sanford, USDA director of Fibers, Peanuts and Tobacco Analysis. However, people can be allergic to peanuts and not tree nuts because peanuts are legumes, not nuts, said Dr. Sarah Legorburu-Selem, a pediatrician who concentrates on allergies. It is the most common food allergy in the U.S., Legorburu-Selem said. However, researchers in England think they have found a long-term cure to the problem.
"The prospect for a possible cure for peanut allergies is very exciting news for sufferers, parents of allergic children, peanut growers/manufacturers and all who enjoy peanut products," Sanford said. The treatment being developed involves exposing children with peanut allergies to small doses of peanut flour until they can build their immunity to peanuts, Sanford said. "So far, the treatment has been effective in allowing patients to ingest a small amount of peanuts," Sanford said. "Success is defined as ingesting up to 32 peanuts without going into anaphylactic shock." Minimal exposure such as someone opening a bag of peanuts several rows back on an airplane or eating products that were produced on manufacturing equipment that handles peanuts can trigger reactions, Sanford said.
"I used to be allergic to peanuts so much that I could not be around them, but I outgrew that," said Katie Miller, senior in fashion design. "The allergic reaction is only by eating them now." After learning the hard way, Miller now carries two EpiPen's, which provide an emergency auto-injection of epinephrine, on her at all times. The injection is vital because if she were to eat a peanut, her throat would close and keep her from breathing. Miller said she takes a Zyrtec if she has a swelling reaction. If that fails, she uses an EpiPen then immediately goes to the hospital to make sure the treatment worked. The peanut allergy has the highest mortality rate of all allergies, Legorburu-Selem said.
"With any food allergy there are different symptoms," Legorburu-Selem said. "Various reactions include swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, asthma attacks or eye infections." According to Legorburu-Selem, the worst reaction is the anaphylaxis attack, the rapid onset of a whole-body allergic reaction that is both painful and life threatening. "The only safe treatment right now is to completely stay away from peanuts," Legorburu-Selem said. "Typically, the more you're exposed to them, the more severe the symptoms each time." Finding a cure is a life-changing event for many people, Sanford said. "People can now go out to eat at restaurants and enjoy everyday treats without fear of a potentially fatal reaction," Sanford said.
If the treatment were successful, the stresses of asking about everything on the menu and worrying about forgetting to bring EpiPens with her everyday would be eliminated, Miller said. "If they found a cure I would definitely be the most relieved person in the world," Miller said. "I could finally eat at Chick-fil-A. Life would be good."
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