Tell me about hazelnut allergy

[AngelsfromtherealmsofgloryDog]

23 m.o. DS has just come up in hives after eating hazelnut butter. It's the second time he's had hazelnuts and he's had hives both times.

No sign of anaphylaxis - it's just hives where it's touched his skin (as far as I can tell).

I've given him some Allerief and spoken to NHS direct who said to keep an eye on him. We've a GP appointment for Tuesday so we'll talk to the doctor then.

Is there anything I should know in the mean time? Do I need to keep him away from all tree nuts? He's had cashews and almonds before, as well as peanuts, without any reaction. Should I be avoiding anything which might possibly contain nuts (e.g. food at toddler group)? He is bf so I presume I should be avoiding hazelnuts too.

I'm not overly surprised as he has eczema and I have various allergies, so I'd been pleasantly surprised we'd got this far without discovering any allergies.

I'd keep him away from nuts but maybe not die over the attempt, as he's been okay so far. Hazelnuts are a clear no till you know more. Allergies can come up suddenly. Good luck!

DS is allergic to cashews but no other tree nuts or peanut came up positive on his skin test. We were advised to avoid all tree nuts due to the risk of cross-contamination, but to introduce peanuts asap before he had the chance to become allergic to them. The problem you face, even if your DS has not reacted to other nuts in the past, is that it is possible to be sensitised at any time so what may have been safe in the past may not necessarily be so now. Not trying to scare you, but it may be wise to wait for testing before introducing peanuts or other nuts.

As far as 'may contain' goes, you will probably not hear the same advice/opinion twice! This is such an unknown quantity, as a lot of foods will be labelled 'may contain' as an arse-covering exercise by the manufacturer, and the amount of nut needed to cause a reaction will vary from person to person. We have been advised that as DS has never had an anaphylactic reaction we can give 'may contain' but only if he is well and has his medication with him. For me, I'm not really up for discovering how he might react to traces of nut and I haven't (so far - we've only known a short while and he is still very young so his diet is not that varied yet) chanced it.

I am breastfeeding too. I avoid nuts - I am as worried about DS inadvertantly coming into contact with them from me as I am about passing them on through my milk. You do not need to avoid 'may contain' yourself.

Hope this is useful and I'm not telling you stuff you already know if you have allergies yourself

Thanks, both. That was useful, Casa - my allergies aren't food ones so this is new ground for me.

Glad I could help. Good luck, hope you get the support you need from your GP.

Ds is allergic to hazelnuts and peanuts (along with some non-food allergies).

I would inform the nursery and send him in with Piriton syrup (this is what ds' consultant recommends if he has a reaction). If he does react to something, they will be more likely to identify it as such more quickly and be able to give medication straight away. Even if the medication stops the hives, they should keep a close eye on him because the reaction can continue once the medication wears off.

Definitely ask the GP for referral for allergy testing.

Ds has had yearly testing since he was about 3yrs. This has meant that we were able to identify what nuts he was allergic to (didnt know about his hazelnut allergy before testing) and want changes have occurred with his allergies over the years - he has outgrown some allergies and become allergic to other things. He now carries around Piriton, inhaler and epipen.

Hi Angel,

Agree that it would be a good idea to get some piriton and keep it with your DS at all times. You should also ask that your DS is referred to a paediatric allergy clinic for testing.

My DD is allergic to milk, eggs and nuts. She is 20 months and breastfed. Our consultant told me not to completely avoid the allergens, but to avoid large quantities if it made my DD sick (when she was younger she would be really sick if Id eaten alot of raw dairy).

I avoid nuts almost completely - more because I am scared that she will come into contact with them through them being on or near, rather than the exposure through my breastmilk. I will have small amounts if I am away from my DD...eg, I would maybe have a chocolate or a dessert with nuts in it if I was away out for the evening.

In the meantime I would advise to avoid your DS having any nuts - even if he isnt allergic to other kinds, the risk of cross contamination due to production methods is quite high.

Good luck and hope your DS is ok tonight.

Thanks all.

Thankfully DS is at home with me rather than at nursery so that's one less thing to worry about. I think the Allerief I gave him is the same stuff as Piriton (chlorphenamine maleate). But it's a useful tip to make sure I keep it with him - it's obvious, but I wouldn't have thought of it when we go out tomorrow.

That's useful to know about the reaction possibly continuing after the medication wears off. The hives did subside, but not disappear, so we gave him a second dose of AHs at bedtime, 4 hours after the first one.

haverina, that's interesting about what your consultant told you about allergens in bm. My biggest concern would be passing them on via hands etc too.

I made a huge batch of biscotti yesterday with pistachios and almonds in Two days ago he was throwing the nuts into the mixing bowl without any apparent ill effect, so maybe I can eat one or two.

I took it all in my stride earlier but I feel a bit twitchy now. At least we co-sleep so in theory I'd know if there was a problem tonight. I suspect it's unlikely since he's been full of beans as ever since.

Thanks everyone, I knew I'd find some good advice & support here. :)