Peanut Allergy?

[givenupgluten]

I had a blood test done awhile back - a celiac panel, but also my dr. wanted to check for food allergies, etc. On my report that I received in the mail, this is what it said re: peanuts....And I can't for the life of me understand it! Any help is appreciated. (By the way, I eat peanuts in some form every day, and don't have any allergic reaction that I'm aware of.....)

The results read like this:

Peanut IGE - .72 (High Range)..........(and my dr. circled this on the report)

Normal Range: <.35

Rast Interpretation: Out of Range - "2" - High

does this mean I'm allergic?? I realize I should ask my dr. about this, but my dr. is out of town for several weeks, so I'm trying to figure out if I should be avoiding peanuts....or if I'm having no reaction, then it's ok?

[jerseyangel]

I don't know what to tell you on the testing--I had a skin-prick test so I'm not familiar with yours.

What I would do is avoid peanuts until you can speak directly with your doctor, just to be safe.

[jayhawkmom]

I would avoid them until able to talk to your doctor. Do you eat them regularly??

My two younger children are allergic to peanuts and it's a LIFE threatening allergy. I would not mess around with elevated IgE levels to peanut protein.

[MyMississippi]

I want to caution you about food allergies: I have found that I became allergic to 2 foods that I ate OFTEN

Peanuts----- I was snacking on a LOT of peanuts everyday (kept a jar of them in my desk at work)

And WHEAT ----- I was baking whole wheat bread every week and eating it EVERY DAY

You might want to back off on the peanuts ---- eat them only about once a week (some say rotate, then you could eat them every 3 days)-----before one day you eat them and break out in hives ANd that will be the end of your peanut eating forever---

I think people with celiac disease don't process food proteins properly and hence the numerous food allergies.

as for the RAST results--- it looks like the NORMAL would be BELOW .35 and your results were . 72 (which is ABOVE the norm)

But check with your doc.

[givenupgluten]

I want to caution you about food allergies: I have found that I became allergic to 2 foods that I ate OFTEN

Peanuts----- I was snacking on a LOT of peanuts everyday (kept a jar of them in my desk at work)

And WHEAT ----- I was baking whole wheat bread every week and eating it EVERY DAY

You might want to back off on the peanuts ---- eat them only about once a week (some say rotate, then you could eat them every 3 days)-----before one day you eat them and break out in hives ANd that will be the end of your peanut eating forever---

I think people with celiac disease don't process food proteins properly and hence the numerous food allergies.

as for the RAST results--- it looks like the NORMAL would be BELOW .35 and your results were . 72 (which is ABOVE the norm)

But check with your doc.

I DO eat alot of peanuts/peanut butter....I eat a banana and peanut butter shake every morning AND I consume a decent amount of Thai food on occasion - with peanut sauces, etc. I'm also vegan, so this is a real set-back.....I was just hoping it was not a serious thing, but I will hold off until I speak with my dr. I definitely don't want to overdo it. Is it common to have no reactions (that I'm aware of) to something, and still be allergic to it?

[MyMississippi]

A true food allergy usually manifests itself with hives and itching a few minutes after you eat it.

I think your test results reflect that you could be headed toward a peanut allergy---- and that one day you might break out with the hives and itching if you continue to eat peanuts everyday ------- But I'm no allergy doctor ----- so what do I know ????

I use Sunbutter in place of peanut butter ------- but I don't allow myself to have it everyday and I go months between jars of it----- (because of my allergy history )

[jerseyangel]

Can you sub almond butter in your shakes?

[jayhawkmom]

A true food allergy usually manifests itself with hives and itching a few minutes after you eat it.

I think your test results reflect that you could be headed toward a peanut allergy---- and that one day you might break out with the hives and itching if you continue to eat peanuts everyday ------- But I'm no allergy doctor ----- so what do I know ????

I use Sunbutter in place of peanut butter ------- but I don't allow myself to have it everyday and I go months between jars of it----- (because of my allergy history )

I agree here. If you are eating it, and not having problems at current.... you might want to taper off on your consumption in an effort to ward off any possible reactions. My kids react immediately....and violently. That's how we identified their allergies, initially. What a nightmare.

Anyhow... I also use Sunbutter, since I love peanut butter but can't have it in the house.

[ShayFL]

IgE is the antibody that is related to anaphalactic, wheezing, excema and the like. Right now you are "tolerating" it, but you can bet there is a cut off point. And with this type of allergy antibody, there is no way of knowing what that cut off is (2 tlb, 3 tlb of PB?) OR if your body will decide one day "enough is enough"!! And one peanut sends you to the ER.

Rotating might be a horrible idea in that when you remove an allergen (even for 4 days) the subsequent reaction can be EXTREME compared to when you were eating it regularly.

I wouldnt play with this one. PLEASE talk to your doctor as soon as you can. You may need to keep an Epi pen on you at all times.

[April in KC]

Hi, I'm very familiar with peanut allergy, as my son has had this allergy for 6 years & now has anaphylactic reactions to peanut. It looks like you had a RAST test for peanut, which is a blood test that would measure your peanut-specific levels of immunoglobulin E, or IGE. On paper, it looks like you have a RAST Class 2 peanut allergy (there are six classes, with 6 being the highest). I say "on paper," because it sounds like you're eating them without incident.

If I were you, I'd go to see a board certified allergist. Take a copy of your blood test results with you and indicate that you have been eating peanuts regularly. You can probably do a peanut butter eating challenge there in the office to help determine that you are not having any reaction to peanut. They might repeat the RAST test or opt to do a skin prick test as well - allergist rely on both methods to help determine allergy. In the end, if you're not reacting at all, they may call it a false positive RAST. But if they decide that you're allergic, you should ALWAYS carry an Epi-Pen or Twinject with you. Allergic reactions can change over time, and it could save your life someday.

If you are having any ongoing GI issues, consider whether peanuts could be playing a role. It's unusual but not unheard of for an IGE type allergy to cause GI symptoms without hives. My son is this way for soy, which was RAST Class 3 positive for.

Come visit a peanut allergy community at alllergy.hyperboards.com if you want to talk to some folks about the test results. It's mostly parents of peanut allergic kids, but there are some adults and teens there with the allergy, too.

[Jestgar]

But if they decide that you're allergic, you should ALWAYS carry an Epi-Pen or Twinject with you. Allergic reactions can change over time, and it could save your life someday.

What she said

[givenupgluten]

Thank you everyone for your help! I appreciate it. I will definitely take the advice and consult my dr. about it when he returns, as well as seeing an allergist just to be safe. Thanks again!

[hawaiimama]

That is very scary and I agree that taking it out to test it is not what you want to do.

[Janessa]

I used to eat peanuts everyday too with "no symptoms"

Then I stopped eating them for a while and when I started eating them again I noticed I had trouble breathing after and since I have stopped eating them altogether my asthma attacks that happened about twice a week for years stopped completely

Sometimes you don't realize your symptoms until they go away

[Amyleigh0007]

My son has a Class 3 peanut allergy according to the RAST. April explained the RAST test perfectly. While he has never had anaphylactic reaction he does have reactions. Most of his reactions are internal. He very rarely gets rashes or hives on the outside. All of his reactions have been internal. He gets rashes and hives on his esophagus. So, please don't assume that if you aren't having outward reactions that peanuts are safe for you. You might be having internal reactions and you wouldn't know it.

[April in KC]

I have watched as my son progressed from RAST class 2 to class 6. His peanut specific IGE is >100 kU/DL. IGE antibodies takes a long time to go away (years), they say. Only 20% of people with peanut allergy ever outgrow it. It took a jump from class 3 to class 6 after he had his first anaphylactic reaction in preschool.

The way his allergist explained it, the RAST class does not predict how someone is going to react NEXT time they have a reaction...instead it is more like a marker of what has happened to them in the past. I always want people with allergy at RAST class 2 or 3 to be aware that the next reaction could be different, or more sudden or serious, than what has happened in the past. At the time DS had his worst reaction, he was at RAST class 3 and had only had a few minor incidents involving hives--never anything that seemed too scary. So the anaphylactic potential can be there, even when past reactions have not gone that way.

There are some really cool studies and projects going on with peanut allergy right now. Duke University has a program where they build up tolerance to peanuts using pharmaceutical doses of peanut protein (they start with 2 mg...a standard peanut is 150-300 mg). Some of the kids in the program who used to react to less than 1/10 of a peanut are now (after 2 years) eating the equivalent of 8 peanuts per day. My son is not eligible for the program yet, but it gives me some hope.

Interesting for the original poster, in the Duke study, they have the kids in the program continue to eat a "maintenance" dose of peanut protein after they build up their tolerance over time.

There's also a promising treatment on the horizon that is based on a formula used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It's code name is FAHF-2 if anyone cares to look it up. Perhaps some day our peanut allergic loved ones will be able to take a shot or a pill that will prevent anaphylaxis. That's what FAHF-2 does in mice. Gotta love it.

[veggienft]

Gluten intolerant people, including celiacs, should appreciate peanut "allergy".

Celiac disease and its gliadin autoimmune reaction have been recognized and studied for many decades. More is known about celiac disease than most other autoimmune diseases. Almost from its discovery celiac disease has been associated with its cause.

Celiac is caused when people with specific genetic patterns recognize wheat glycoprotein as invading antigens. Their immune systems attack the glycoprotein and all the tissue it touches.

Bacteria and virus attack the human body using singular genetic signatures which give them unique footholds. Fungi do not attack singularly. Fungi exist in spore colonies with hundreds of genetic signatures. Fungi propagate from the spores who's genetics give them an attacking foothold.

Candida albicans fungus produces a range of chemicals which are toxic to humans. As it turns out candida randomly produces protein which mimics wheat glycoprotein. A dominant theory says the celiac reaction to wheat is a mis-directed reaction to candida fungus. It makes lots of sense. Any animal who's body self-destructs upon eating normal food can't survive to reproduce. Conversely, any animal who succumbs to fungal attack can't survive to reproduce.

Like wheat gliadin, nut proteins are glycoprotein. Glycoprotein are hybrid proteins, part protein, part sugar (glyco) .......meaning they have an oxygen/hydrogen (OH) unit bonded to their carbon chains. The combination gives glycoprotein the ability to connect to membranes perpendicularly, just as many body proteins and lipids do.

Early 20 th century agricultural and medical sciences identified the fungus Aspergillus flavus as a disease-causing agent in peanuts, other nuts and ground-based carbohydrate crops. Aspergillus flavus produces "aflatoxin", a toxin so dangerous that aflatoxin weapons programs have been attempted. That doesn't mean humans don't normally ingest aflatoxin. On average humans ingest and handle trace amounts of aflatoxin regularly.

Peanuts grow in the ground, where growing conditions can cause blossoming aflatoxin outbreaks.

Without chemical analysis, aflatoxin is unrecognizable in crops. Aflatoxin cannot be destroyed by cooking. Chemical sampling shows that peanut crops which display higher levels of rot also have higher levels of aflatoxin. After aflatoxin was identified as a problem, U.S. farmers formed state and county co-ops to examine peanut crops and destroy those with more rot. But some farmers whose crops were destroyed successfully sued, and removed this valuable tool.

Food production has turned into a global operation. Like other crops peanuts, even healthy peanuts, get dumped into freight containers with contaminated peanuts. They get shipped and stored in these hot moist conditions for weeks on end. Aspergillus spreads in such conditions.

Peanut "allergies" have absolutely blossomed in the last couple of decades. All doctors are sworn public health officials. It is not in the public interest to cause panic over the public food supply. But quietly there's a theory gaining ground in medical circles. The current peanut autoimmune outbreak is, like the wheat autoimmune reaction, actually a reaction to a mixing of fungus and peanut glycoprotein.

The immune systems of susceptible people recognize Aspergillus and associated peanut glycoprotein as a single invading antigen.

..

[givenupgluten]

Thanks to everyone for responding..I appreciate all the input. I was actually able to get in touch with my dr. yesterday, and he brought it up. He stated that I was allergic to peanuts, and that I should definitely cut it out of my diet. He felt like cutting them out could be the tipping point - the difference in feeling good about 70% of the time on a gluten free diet, with few hiccups along the way..and feeling 100% better.

[April in KC]

Wow. You can always visit a second allergist down the road for additional testing if you're really not convinced. Unlike gluten, peanut IGE antibodies should hang around for quite a long time even after you remove peanuts from your diet...one of the reasons PA is hard to outgrow.

Good luck with the new dietary steps...I know PA can be very restrictive at times...not so restrictive as gluten-free, but it's just one more limitation when you probably don't want one. There are some great PA online support groups.

If you do become symptomatic, pay attention to the "may contain peanuts" and "processed in a facility with..." labels, since they tend to represent real risk of cross-contam.

Get an Epi and carry it (don't leave it in a hot car). If it isn't ever needed to save your life, that's great...maybe you can be someone else's hero someday at a restaurant! I seem to remember a case where a person with an Epi saved someone's life on a beach one time.