Peanut allergy & other nuts

[vvviola]

DD2 reacted to peanut in her skin prick tests but has never been exposed to it directly. So we're avoiding it until her next lot of tests (around 2 or 3, I think), at which stage, if the figures have decreased they will suggest a peanut challenge in hospital.

That's all fine.

But I've been thinking recently about other nuts. I know there's a difference between peanuts and tree nuts. (I'll admit this has been prompted by thoughts of having to ice the Christmas cake without marzipan - as I am avoiding eating everything DD has allergies to).

So - have people just tried tree nuts? Or asked for skin prick tests on them? Her diet is limited enough as it is, and I'd hate to be avoiding large amounts of foods if we don't need to.

[BarbarianMum]

We were in the same situation to you when ds1 was 10mo.

We were advised to avoid all nuts - luckily he'd already had various legumes (beans/peas/lentils) w no problems - that's the other group of things that can go with peanut allergy.

At age 3 his skin prick for peanuts was still positive but blood RAST was beginning to fall. At that point he was skin pricked for tree nuts (almonds, cashews etc) - all negative. We were told to continue avoiding them to age 5 when they'd review again. If he was still peanut sensitive at that point but negative to other nuts we could consider introducing them into his diet.

By age 5 his peanut skin prick and bloods were very low and he passed a challenge. We introduced other nuts after this (nervously) and he was absolutely fine.

Anyway, that's our story. As to yours, you could ask for skin pricks to other nuts if you think you would be comfortable giving them. We were told that - had we been vegetarian say - they would may have moderated their advice on total nut avoidance. At our clinic if your child is very young with multiple allergies they tend to be conservative in their advice.

HTH

[freefrommum]

There are 2 issues here: firstly, a number of people allergic to peanuts are also allergic to tree nuts and secondly, there is a high risk of cross contamination as tree nuts are often processed in the same factories as peanuts. I think this is why many people with peanut allergy are told to avoid all nuts. However, the medical profession do seem to be quite divided on this issue and many advise people allergic to peanuts but with no known allergy to tree nuts to eat them regularly. Sorry, that doesn't really help much does it? I think the real answer is to stick with whatever your comfortable with and maybe ask the consultant's advice.

[vvviola]

Thanks both of you - plenty to think about there. We aren't expecting to see the consultant again unless her situation changes drastically (in NZ so system different), so it would only be the GP, who isn't too clued up on allergy issues.

I think it might be safest to avoid all nuts for now, but I will ask the GP next time I'm down there.

I'm struggling a bit with how much we're having to avoid with the egg/dairy/peanut allergies plus a seeming intolerance to soy (nothing on the tests but definite cramping if taken in large amounts), but I suppose excluding all nuts isn't that much of an extra step.

A Christmas cake without marzipan though? That could be a step too far for my family. They may decamp to a hotel without DD & I

[vvviola]

The minor issue has been resolved (I discovered nut-free marzipan ), which gives me some head space to think about the wider issue without complications of what to do about Christmas (which of course wasn't a deciding factor in any case)

[MayfairMummy]

Hi vvviola ... did you skin prick test any tree nuts? DS2 came up positive recently (9 months old) to cashew and pistachio, and also to peanuts. Don't know if it's common, but it certainly CAN be reactive to both :-/

[vvviola]

No, we didn't do the skin prick for tree nuts at all. We were actually just testing for dairy as that was what she had reacted to, so try just did the standard tests (dairy, egg, peanut, wheat, soy, fish). We were very surprised when both egg and peanut came up positive as well.

Next time I have her at the GP I might ask about referring us for skin prick tests on tree nuts.

[vvviola]

I can't find a link right now, but apparently almond flavouring (not almond essence) is actually all chemical and doesn't actually have any nuts in it at all. There are recipes to make marzipan with that and some soy flour in addition to the icing sugar.

Bizarrely today I found "almond flavoured icing" at my local supermarket - which didn't appear to have any actual nuts in it at all.

(I'm not usually one for chemicals instead of natural flavourings, but when allergies are involved...)