It's not so much what's in the peanuts that can kill someone, but it's how the immune system reacts to peanuts. The proteins in peanuts are safe for most people, causing no problems, but if you're allergic to peanut proteins, your immune system may overact, leading to the production of a flood of chemicals that could cause death. If you have a known peanut allergy, you need to avoid consuming peanuts or products that may contain peanut proteins to prevent a severe allergic reaction.
Peanut Protein Allergy
Not only are peanuts one of the most common food allergens, but they are also considered by the Food Allergy Initiative website to be one of the most dangerous allergens. Food contains particular proteins that the body digests and uses for energy, but when the immune system mistakes the proteins in peanuts as dangerous, it can overreact and attack the substance. Immunoglobulin E antibodies are created, which causes mast cells in soft tissues to create histamine and other chemicals. The presence of these chemicals causes inflammation throughout the body.
Life-threatening Symptoms
Most food allergy symptoms are mild, not causing any permanent or life-threatening damage. If your body experiences a severe allergic reaction after eating peanuts, your blood pressure can drop suddenly, your heart will race and your ability to breathe may be greatly reduced or cut off completely. This type of allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis, which commonly causes the body to enter a state of shock. You may appear pale, become extremely lightheaded and develop a faint pulse. Consuming the smallest amount of peanut proteins can trigger anaphylaxis if you have a severe allergy to peanuts.
Prevention
The only way to prevent a severe allergic reaction form peanuts is to avoid ingesting and inhaling peanut proteins. Avoiding peanuts may be more difficult than you may think. Peanuts are found in obvious places such as peanut butter, peanut flour, nougat, ground nuts, mixed nuts and artificial nut flavor, but they can also be found in all sorts of candies, cookies, baked goods, egg rolls, hydrolyzed plant protein and marzipan, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The FDA requires that all packaged foods contain an allergy warning on the label disclosing the use of peanuts.
Treatment
If your doctor diagnoses you with a severe allergy to peanuts, she will also provide you with a prescription for an epinephrine injector. Epinephrine is synthetic adrenalin that causes your blood vessels to constrict and your lungs to relax, restoring your body's normal functionality. An epinephrine injector should be carried with your always for use in case of an emergency. In some cases, airborne peanut flour can trigger anaphylaxis.
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