Peanut Allergy: New meaning to the phrase "Kiss of Death"

I hope you haven't been overloaded with postings about peanut allergy. I couldn't pass a latest report up about allergic reactions associated with kissing. Published reports have previously accounted for severe allergic reactions occurring soon after eating peanuts and kissing someone. The lesson learned was to wash and rinse out the mouth and wash face and hands before contacting anyone that is allergic to peanuts or other nuts.

Rinsing out the mouth and washing the face may not be enough for some food or drug allergic people. Apparently food or drug allergen may show up in the saliva hours after eating it.

Dr. Bahna, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology addressed this earlier this week at the college's national meeting in Phoenix.

See more about this: ( kissing associated with allergic reactions).

Peanut Allergy: Should Pregnant Women Avoid Eating Peanuts?

In recent years medical investigators have determined that advice given by doctors to pregnant women about allergy risks and diet may not have had a sound basis. Studies looking at the risk of peanut allergy in those who consumed peanuts during pregnancy compared to those who avoided them failed to show a significant difference. Well, the momentum has begun to swing back in the opposite direction based on a new study linked below.

I have always thought that the more logical explanation for peanut, tree nut or shellfish allergy showing up in infancy was because of exposure to these food allergy proteins while in utero (before birth while in the mother's uterus). Allergic sensitivity arises from an initial sensitizing event (usually silent, not felt) followed by a period of being hypersensitive whereupon re-exposure to the allergen, a reaction occurs. The linked study suggests this sensitizing may occur in pregnancy.

So what is the future mom to do? Discuss this with her doctor. See an allergist if there is a serious concern about allergy risks, especially if there is a family history of allergy or asthma. My preference, currently is to have my pregnant patients avoid all nuts and shellfish during pregnancy (but that's my own opinion at this time) since avoidance of these particular foods should not result in a nutritional deficiency.

What do you think? Hit me back at AllergyQA@aol.comif you don't want to directly post. I'll post your question and my response to this site. I'm also on Facebook (check out the link in the header above!)

Here is the link on Peanut Allergy and Infant Risk