Peanut Allergy Symptoms

Allergies are harmful reactions of the immune system when they come in contact with things that are usually harmless called allergens. Allergens are composed of both non-edible and food substances, and one of the common food allergens are peanuts. Peanut allergy symptoms are sometimes confused with another problem with peanuts, which is peanut intolerance. These are two different things, and it is important that peanut-sensitive persons identify which one is their real problem.

The difference between these two conditions lies in the involvement of the immune system, whereas only peanut allergies only have an effect on the immune system. If you are peanut intolerant, you can take small amounts of peanuts that may at times have no effect on you or it can lead to mild reactions such as indigestion or heart burn. These two reactions, though, do not affect the immune system, unlike peanut allergies where tiny amounts of peanuts can trigger an adverse reaction by the immune system.

The main substance that causes the symptoms of allergies in peanuts is their protein content. When the immune system comes in contact even with traces of such a substance, it immediately causes reactions such as itching, redness, shortness of breath, nausea, wheezing, swelling, abdominal pain, and even loss of consciousness in the anaphylaxis type of allergies. Hives may also develop in the areas of your body that came in contact with peanuts, and these hives may spread to the other parts of your body.

The allergy symptoms for peanuts can be expected to manifest within minutes after eating them. In some cases, it takes hours before the reaction takes place. Two factors generally affect the severity of the symptoms. The first one is the other bodily systems that are involved in the reaction to the peanuts. Second, the amount of peanuts ingested may have an effect with the amount of proteins that mixes with the parts of the body that causes the allergic reactions.