Question re: peanut allergy, exposure and testing

[suiledonne]

DD1 is almost 4. She has an egg allergy - severe reaction to raw egg white and although we thought she had outgrown her allergy to cooked egg she has started reacting to it (with hives) again. She has asthma and eczema.

She had skin prick and blood tests done at 14 months and only the egg showed up. At 3 she had the blood tests done again showing positive for egg and mild result for wheat and dairy.

I have never given her peanuts to eat although I haven't diligently kept things that 'may contain peanuts' from her.

I am just wondering about the safety of allowing her to eat peanuts/peanut butter.

If she has never been exposed would the tests be accurate?

At this stage having eaten biscuits, chocolate etc is it likely she has been exposed?

I will discuss with the paed at her next appointment but was just wondering.

I know there are people on here with a lot of knowledge of these sorts of allergies who might be able to help.

Thanks

You don't have to be exposed to foods for allergies to show up on the skin prick testing (my DD was tested at 6 months and turned out to be allergic to lots of things she had never had). So if your DD has tested negative to peanuts then, at least at the time of testing, she was probably not allergic to them.

If you have a tendency to allergy, it is possible for new allergies to develop (so although my DD was clear for peanut at 6 months, she tested positive at 12 months).

However, the latest thinking is that exposure to peanuts (if you are not already allergic) means it is less likely that the allergy will develop than if you avoid them completely. There is currently a study underway to test this theory (called the LEAP study if you want to read more about it).

On the basis of the new theories, it might be a better to let your DD have peanuts rather than continue to avoid. If you go down that route, you would probably want to expose her to peanuts for the first time, with a small amount and piriton/epipen at the ready in case she has developed the allergy.

Thanks Invisible. It is all so confusing, isn't it?

DD had skin prick tests at 14 months but only blood tests last time.

I was so clueless about all this then that I don't even know what ones they tested her for with the pin pricks but they said it was the most common ones so I am presuming that would include peanut.

Her next appointment is due soon so I think I will hold off til then (maybe even give her the peanuts while we are at the hospital?)

How old is your dd? Does she have other allergies too?

according to our paediatric allergy consultant most children in Britain have been exposed to peanut by age 3. We were also told they didn't have to have been exposed for the test to work, don't know if it's true but the lab told us that when we asked about other nuts.

If they had a negative test before I'd be inclined to try a little in the car park before the next appointment.

Trying while you are the hospital would be a good idea.

My DD is nearly 3 now - unfortunately she has a whole catalogue of allergies (dairy, egg, peanuts, sesame, kiwi, some tree nuts). She was diagnosed at around 6 months as she had severe eczema and the dermatologist suggested allergy testing. Her most recent re-test was a couple of weeks ago, so its another year before retesting to see if anything has changed.

As she has always been allergic, she is used to not being able to have things that others do (especially as her younger brother seems to be allergy free), but its getting harder with birthday parties etc.