Imagine taking a bite of something really delicious. A fudge-coated double chocolate brownie, for example. You put the first piece in your mouth and slowly pull out the cold spoon. The warm chocolate melts in your mouth, and you swallow the delicious morsel.
Suddenly, you feel a strange sensation in your mouth. It's not the sticky remains of the succulent dessert.
Instead, your throat tightens and you feel as though a million fire ants are crawling over your skin and through your hair. You feel your chest tighten, and your heartbeat begins to accelerate. It's as though an enormous weight has landed on your chest, and every breath becomes a struggle to lift the oppressive load.
Instantly you know that was one bite you should have resisted taking.
For the approximately four million Americans who suffer from some type of food allergy, this scenario represents a constant threat.
Food allergies occur when the immune system reacts to a specific protein in the food. Normally, the body's immune system is activated in response to substances that the body recognizes as foreign, such as bacteria or viruses. In this case, the immune response identifies and works to eliminate the foreign substance.
How the immune systems of food allergy sufferers become programmed to react to specific foods remains unknown. However, the aberrant response triggers a host of reactions in the body, and in some cases may even result in death.
There are many types of food allergies, but shellfish, peanut, tree nut and egg allergies are the most common, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
An estimated 1.5 million people are severely allergic to peanuts, and approximately 50 to 100 of these people die every year after accidental ingestion of peanuts or peanut-products.
Recently, a 15-year old girl, Christina Desforges, died after experiencing a severe allergic reaction to peanuts. Desforges, however, did not ingest the peanuts -- she kissed her boyfriend who had just consumed a snack with peanut butter.
Although Christina received immediate treatment with adrenaline, a common treatment for severe allergies, she passed away in a hospital in Quebec.
Peanut allergies are a severe form of food allergy and are life-threatening because they may cause what is known as an anaphylactic reaction.
Normally, the immune system produces proteins, known as antibodies, when a foreign substance is identified in the body. This enables the immune system to react quickly when the virus or toxin re-enters the body.
In people with allergies, a specific type of antibody, immunoglobulin E (IgE) is produced upon recognition of the allergen. When the immune system comes into contact with the allergen once again, the IgEs quickly recognize it and cause the release of many chemicals, including histamine. The release of histamine triggers the numerous reactions involved in anaphylaxis.
The danger of anaphylaxis lies in its potential to affect various parts of the body.
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the main symptoms of anaphylaxis are hives, skin rash, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, nasal congestion, nausea, itchy mouth or throat, low blood pressure, poor pulse, anxiety, feeling of "impending doom," itchy eyes and headache.
The symptoms of anaphylaxis may be triggered anytime between a few minutes to hours following exposure to the allergen. The decrease in blood pressure, breathing trouble, shock and loss of consciousness may result in death.
In addition to foods, stinging insects, certain medications, latex and in some rare cases, exercise, may induce an anaphylactic reaction.
Immediate treatment is key to preventing fatality following an anaphylactic reaction. Treatment with an adrenaline (epinephrine) shot can ameliorate the problems with circulation and respiration.
Most allergy sufferers carry epinephrine in the form of an Epi-pen, an auto-injector that will deliver a single dose of epinephrine.
When epinephrine is taken in conjunction with an anti-histamine as soon as the symptoms are detected, the anaphylactic response can be stopped.
The key to avoiding an adverse reaction to a food allergy is not consuming the allergen.
Improvements in labeling and greater public awareness of the severity of food allergies may reduce the number of fatalities among allergy-sufferers. However, it is important to remember just how sensitive some people may be to allergy-inducing substances.
In an interview with CNN, Dr. Robert Wood of Hopkins highlights this issue.
Wood says, "There are true risks when ... enough peanut protein is really being disturbed. So if people are cracking open peanuts, especially in a confined space, a waiting area of a restaurant, you could have a very severe reaction because there's enough peanut airborne."
