Nut Allergy: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Nut allergy is a common food allergy. You can find out here which symptoms can arise from it and what can help against it.
What is a nut allergy?
About 1.4 percent of all Europeans suffer from nut allergy. The immune system of those affected reacts excessively to a certain nut variety or even against all of them. This leads to various symptoms, such as nausea or vomiting. In the worst case, life-threatening shortness of breath can occur. There is currently no effective treatment for nut allergy – allergy sufferers should therefore in the first instance simply avoid any nut.
Who suffers from nut allergy?
Nut allergy occurs about equally frequently in children and adults. And unlike other allergies, it does not recede in children as they grow older. In adults, nut allergy often occurs as part of the so-called cross allergy in combination with birch allergy, i.e. hay fever. This is because their pollen contains similar allergenic proteins as those found in nuts.
Which nuts cause allergies?
Experts suspect that allergy to peanuts is the most common. But the following types of nuts also often cause allergic reactions:
- Walnuts
- Hazelnuts
- Pecans
- Brazil nuts
Most of those affected are only allergic to one type of nut, only a few allergy sufferers are sensitive to all nuts. However, nuts themselves can also trigger cross-allergies to other nuts: For example, a peanut allergy often triggers an allergy to various nuts or even pulses such as beans, soya and lentils.
Common symptoms of nut allergies
As a rule, various symptoms often occur directly after eating nuts, e.g. a peanut. The following symptoms often occur:
- Neck Scratching
Swelling of mucous membranes and eyelids - General itching
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Skin redness
- Shortness of breath
However, the symptoms are not equally severe in every affected person. If breathing difficulties occur, in the worst case the so-called anaphylactic shock (anaphylaxis) can occur. This is an acute danger to life – the emergency doctor must be called immediately!
How can a nut allergy be determined?
Anyone who has some of the symptoms known to be allergic should have an allergy test, the so-called prick test, done by a doctor. In this test, the allergy sufferer is given various allergens on the skin, so that it is easy to see which allergen is causing symptoms.
What to do about the nut allergy?
For many other allergies, the so-called hyposensitization helps to get rid of the allergy in the long run. In the case of an allergy to nuts, this form of treatment has not yet been successful. However, scientists are researching various immunotherapies that should help to completely eliminate nut allergies in the future.
As there is no real cure for nut allergy as yet, it is primarily important to avoid nuts in order to prevent allergic reactions. This also includes studying the package insert of various foods and checking whether traces of nuts may be present. These often cannot even be tasted from the food, but can still trigger symptoms.
In severe cases, medication, so-called antihistamines, can also help against symptoms. However, they should only be taken in consultation with a doctor. People with nut allergies, who tend to have strong reactions, should also always carry a so-called emergency set with them. In an acute emergency, not only the person affected but also close contacts should know exactly how to use this emergency set.