Peanut

Allergy
How it affects the
human body.

What is a Peanut Allergy?

According to the Mayo clinic, a peanut allergy is
common, especially in children. 1
The allergy symptoms can have a mild and severe
reaction that is, at times, life-threatening. The result
is anaphylaxis
According to the American Academy of Allergy
Asthma & Immunology, anaphylaxis is a serious and
life-threatening form that can happen from an
allergic reaction. 2
Your immune system releases chemicals into the
body that will cause an allergic reaction.
Anaphylaxis will require immediate medical
attention and this can include the injection of an
epinephrine pen.

Food Allergy vs. Food

Intolerance

Unlike having a allergy to food, there is a difference

between food allergy vs. food intolerance.
An intolerance does not affect the immune system.
The results of a food intolerance is that your body
can tolerate certain foods and will have mild such
as heartburn or indigestion, but not life-threatening
issues that you experience during an allergic
reaction.
Age does play a factor and it is most common in
young children.
Family members who have an allergy to peanuts
can transfer to their children.
Similarly, if you are allergic to other food sources,
you are susceptible to having allergies for peanut
intake.

Knowing the Symptoms

Be sure to know and write down any symptoms
Keep a food diary
A physical examination by your physician will help
you diagnose
You may or may not have to eliminate peanuts from
your diet
There is a skin test prick that will help in identifying if
you are susceptible to this allergy
A blood test will be performed to determine if you
have the amount of allergy-type of antibodies in
your bloodstream.
This is referred to the immunoglobulin E (IgE)
antibodies.
An antibody is a protein that is produced by the
bodys immune system and can detect harmful
substances called antigens.3

Food Labels
According to FARE (Food Allergy Research &
Education), Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer
Protection Act (FALCPA), 4 effective January 1, 2006,
food labels must note all ingredients including
allergens in laymen terms. 5 See Image 1 on page 6

Image 15

The systems that are

affected.

The following are systems in your body that are affected.

Gastrointestinal System
Respiratory System
Cardiovascular System

Gastrointestinal System
According to US National Library of Medicine National
Institute of Health, (NCBI), the gastrointestinal system
plays a crucial role with the homeostasis of the immune
system. 6
Within the gastrointestinal system, there a huge amount
of immune cells that live inside of the system.
There is a noticeable part of the mucosal-associated
lymphoid tissue (MALT) and this is called gut-associated
lymphoid tissue (GALT).
According to NCBI, this represents almost 70% of the
entire immune system; moreover, about 80% of plasma
cells [mainly immunoglobulin A (IgA)-bearing cells].7
As I mentioned previously, the immunoglobulin (IgA) is
an antibody that can detect harmful substances called
antigens.

Gastrointestinal System and

Reaction to Peanut Allergy
Gastrointestinal anaphylaxis can wreak havoc by
consuming foods such as peanuts and most reactions
are severe.
Additionally gastrointestinal allergy, there is an
imbalance of Tregsystem and prevalence of the Th2
response with its cytokine pattern (IL-4 and IL-5)
according to NCBI. 8
The website provide a chart, see Table 1 on page 10,
that lists symptoms, such as, abdominal pain, cramps,
vomiting and/or diarrhoea.9

Gastrointestinal System and

Reaction to Peanut Allergy

Respiratory System
The respiratory system is affected when dealing with an
allergic reaction to peanut allergies.
The immune system is to help protect the body.
However, people that have a hypersensitive allows
allergens inside the body.
According to PeanutAllergy.com, the immune system's
mast cells secrete histamine. Histamine is supposed to
attack enemies. Histamine is a powerful chemical which
can affect the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory
system, skin or the cardiovascular system.10
However, in an allergic situation, the body doesnt use
histamine properly and can damage the tissues.
This symptoms will vary based on will histamine is
released within the body.

Cardiovascular System
According to NCBI, anaphylaxis is a condition that the
cardiovascular system is responsible for the majority of
clinical symptoms and can have a fatal outcome.11
For the heart, it is the source as well as a target for the
chemical intermediaries that are released during an
allergic reaction.
There are cardiac mast cells that have a greater
abundancy in the heart. The cardiac cells can be
activated by stimuli including but not limited to
allergens.
Additionally according to NCBI, cardiac mast cells
release chymase and renin that activates the
angiotensin system locally, and this further induces
arteriolar vasoconstriction, which causes the narrowing
of the blood vessels.

Conclusion

Bibliography

Peanut allergy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2015, from

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peanutallergy/basics/definition/con-20027898
2 Anaphylaxis Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Management |
AAAAI. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2015, from
http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-andtreatments/allergies/anaphylaxis.aspx
3 Antibody: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved
April 19, 2015, from
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002223.htm
4FOOD ALLERGEN LABELING AND CONSUMER PROTECTION. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 19, 2015, from
http://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=148
5 Food Labels - Food Allergy Research & Education. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 19, 2015, from http://www.foodallergy.org/foodlabels
1

Bibliography (Contd)
to read food labels if you have a peanut allergy. (2014,
October 30). Retrieved April 19, 2015, from
http://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/kids-health/understandingpeanut-allergy-food-labels/
7 Vighi, G., Marcucci, F., Sensi, L., Cara, G., & Frati, F. (n.d.). Allergy
and the gastrointestinal system. Retrieved April 19, 2015, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/
8 Vighi, G., Marcucci, F., Sensi, L., Cara, G., & Frati, F. (n.d.). Allergy
and the gastrointestinal system. Retrieved April 19, 2015, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/

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