can a child with a tree nut allergy also be allergic to pine trees, ie. Xmas tree?

[Shaniece]

I know this is a bizarre question but my 2yo has a tree nut allergy so we obviously avoid tree nuts (especially cashews) in fact we avoid peanuts also.

We have a real Christmas tree this year & since we have had it he is showing mild signs of allergy, i.e, lips swelling and he keeps saying 'mouth hurt' I am wondering if the tree is affecting him. I should add that he is full up with a rotten cold to and has cough, runny nose etc - he has had it for 3 weeks now.

We are seeing the Allergist at the end of January to get him tested

Dh is allergic to Christmas tree's it is like he has hayfever and when they touch his skin he comes up in a rash. - That said he always wants a real one

well its possible to be allergic to pine nut. We've had our nut allergic child tested for pine nut and the test was positive. Seems to me that my child's allergies are worse when they are unwell. That seems logical(immune system working overtime).

If he says his mouth hurts I'd chuck the tree out, you don't want to be dashing off to hospital. Mouth hurts is not a mild sign it's a sign to remove the allergen promptly. It could just be the cold making his mouth hurt but with swelling lips it could also be starting to affect his breathing.

We have thrown the tree out. DS is in bed early tonight he wouldnt eat his tea & asked to go to bed which is unusual. DH and I will keep an eye on him.

Thanks.

check your medicine cupboard out - if you have any antihistamine you may want to give him a dose. It's in some cough mixtures, worth checking boxes.

thanks tatt. yes we gave him antihistamine and calpol and I have just been upstairs to check on him and he is sound asleep. If he is still rough tomorrow I might take him to A&E.

Hi Shaniece

I have a 9 yo step-dd who is allergic (anaphylactic) to ALL nuts, the docs were (not) supportive when they asked 'how on earth do you let her out of your site?' She is off the scale so we have to avoid all nuts, traces of, factory traces etc. She had her first anaphylactic attack at 2.5 years after a bite of her sister's peanut butter sandwich. She is also allergic to house dust mite, timothy grass and cats.

She has previously come up in a rash on her arms when putting things on the xmas tree. No mouth issues but she has had a cold this week which has turned every which way including conjunctavites (spell?) so I guess her immune system is way down. When we were at CentreParcs in Holland they had a tropical rain forrest tree park for kids and she had a massive attack, epipens were at the ready but luckily it calmed quite quickly and we were able to treat with antihistamine meds. We do not know what set it off but suspect a tree-nut or similar.

She is enrolled on a nut-desensitization programme in Addenbrooks in Cambridge this next year when we hope to anyone out there that can help that we can have her allergy toned down somewhat. They have high hopes for the study as nut allergies are such a terrible worry - as I am sure you are only too aware of with your lo.

Sor sorry you have a poorly one, I would just keep a night watch for breathing difficulties and take to hospital if anything changes. Normally after any type of attack step-dd sleeps it off as it seems to exhaust her.

Good luck - let me know if I can help any further.

my lo also had conjuntavitis. I am thinking he has had an allergic reaction to the tree which is causing the cold like symptoms, i.e. coughing, runny nose, runny eyes, conjunctavitis etc. Funnily enough, he has been really really shattered lately and hasnt been waking until late every morning.

Just seen this. I'm (mildly) allergic to our Christmas tree (pine) but not nuts, inc pine nuts.

Ds is allergic to peanuts (no idea about tree nuts/pine nuts) but no probs w. the Christmas tree.

So yes, you can be allergic to Christmas trees but I'm not sure that its particularly related to nut allergy (its quite rare to have a pine Xmas tree, most of them are spruce).

Sounds very probable it is the tree not a cold then. If dd comes into contact with a cat she immediately starts sneezing, running nose, eyes, itching etc. Always leaves her exhausted.

Hope ds has a good night and feels much better in the tree-free house.

Oh, forgot to say, when dd has a reaction she says she feels really dozy, like she has had a large dose of piriton and is all fuzzy.

another thought - you may want to rescue a bit of tree from wherever its gone (or a needle from the carpet) - bag a bit up and leave it in the garage maybe. That's partly for identification but also because if the allergy clinic decide to test it they don't keep extracts of everything. Sometimes they ask you to take along a bit of what you want tested.

tatt - can I ask a question (sorry to hijack). I have a new dd (8 months) who is a half sister to my step-dd with the nut allergy. When and how can I have the baby RAST tested? Do I speak to the GP for a referral do you think?

hi shaniece, hope he's bouncy this morning.

Mellieandme it's really difficult to get blood from a baby so they are unlikely to do a Rast test. Most gps won't refer unless you have reason to suspect that child has allergies. Your best hope of getting a test is probably smiling sweetly at whoever sees the step dd.

he is a bit better this morning. Thanks for asking.

Ok thanks for the advice, bady dd has had cradle cap and eczema which I know can be pre-cursers to allergies.

Shaniece, hope lo is making a full recovery.