About Allergies: Girl Dies at School From Peanut Allergy

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD, your Guide to Allergies A 7-year-old Virginia girl died last week as a result of a severe allergic reaction to peanuts. Apparently, the girl had been given a peanut (or peanut-containing food) from another child while on the playground. The girl developed shortness of breath and hives and sought help, although apparently no treatment was given at the school. When emergency medical services arrived at the school, the girl was already in cardiac arrest. She was taken to a local hospital where she was declared dead. This sad story will surely bring up the question of whether or not peanuts should be banned from school. There are other questions that arise -- such as the availability of medicines at school for children with medical problems -- such as injectable epinephrine. And, whether or not that medicine was prescribed by a physician for a specific child, or if that medicine is available for "general use". This could lead to multiple problems, especially since most schools don't have a nurse or other healthcare professional on staff, who would have the ability to recognize and treat a medical emergency. The most important take-home lesson from this tragedy is to ensure that if your child has a life-threatening medical condition, such as food allergies, to have an action plan in place for school officials to follow should an emergency occur. All About Peanut Allergy Peanut allergy is the most common form of food allergy in school age children and adults. Milk and egg allergy are more common in infants and toddlers, but allergies to these foods are commonly outgrown by school age. Recent studies show that in North America and the United Kingdom, 1% of children have peanut allergy. The occurrence of peanut allergy has doubled in the past 10 to 20 years, and the reason for this increase is not completely clear. Possibilities for this increase include topical exposure to peanut proteins in skin creams containing peanut oil, exposure to peanut proteins in breast milk or during pregnancy, as well as exposure to cross-reacting (similar) foods, such as soy. At the present time, it is not known why peanut allergy is becoming more common. See More About:  allergies  allergist  allergy testing The Most Common Place at School for Food Allergic Reactions The answer might surprise you. The logical answer is that most food allergy reactions at school occur in the cafeteria during lunchtime, but this isn't the case. In the U.S. Peanut and Tree Nut Registry, 79% of allergic reactions to nuts occurred in the classroom, usually as a result of contact with peanut butter during class projects. Massachusetts's schools reported that 46% of food allergy reactions occurred in the classroom compared to just 9% in the cafeteria. See More About:  food allergies  allergies at school  allergies to food odors Where Should Epinephrine Be Kept at School? The key to successful treatment of severe food allergy reactions is the early administration of epinephrine. Therefore, injectable epinephrine should be readily available to treat students with food allergy. Preferably, epinephrine should be accessible within minutes, and should be kept in a secure but unlocked location. Keeping epinephrine in a locked drawer or cabinet is not a good idea, since quickly finding a key for the lock may be difficult when a reaction is occurring. See More About:  food allergies  allergies at school  allergies to food odors Allergies Ads School Allergies Treatment Mold Allergies Dogs Allergies Childhood Allergies Featured Articles Nose and Eye Allergies Skin Allergies Asthma and Lung Allergies Common Allergy Issues in Children Food Allergies Allergies in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding   More from About.com Living with Depression By obtaining the correct medical intervention and learning better coping skills, you can not only live with depression, but live well. More> 9 Symptoms of Depression If you have experienced five or more of these symptoms within the same two week period, this could be indicative of an episode of depression. More> This newsletter is written by: Daniel More, MD Allergies Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Allergies newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com   Must Reads What are Allergies? Symptoms of Allergies Diagnosis of Allergies Treatment of Allergies Preventing Allergies Advertisement