More than 800,000 of the adults – more than 17% – developed their allergy after reaching the age of 18, according to a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology on Tuesday.
In general, a peanut allergy was considered a pediatric problem, but more adults than children have the allergy, said Dr. Ruchi Gupta, director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research, told Northwestern University in Illinois. But only 15% to 20% of children with a peanut allergy will outgrow their allergy to adulthood, according to the study.
Adults who reported developing a peanut allergy in adulthood were significantly less likely to be diagnosed by a physician compared to adults who reported developing the allergy as a child, according to the survey. 40,000 American adults.
According to Gupta, she noted that adults who have a negative reaction to a certain food avoid eating it rather than follow up on an allergy test. If you are diagnosed with a peanut allergy, you will receive confirmation that you are allergic, which affects how you live your life, she said.
Of the 2.9% of American adults who reported having a peanut allergy, only 1.8% – that is 4.6 million people – had a convincing peanut allergy, according to the study.
Convincing symptoms included vomiting, hives and breathing problems, said the author, Christopher Warren, a research consultant at the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research. Some examples of symptoms that were not convincing included bloating and diarrhea, he said.
Adults who self-diagnose may also place an unnecessary burden on peanuts if they do not have to, Warren added.
“They can live their lives as if their next bite can lead to a very bad outcome if it’s something that is so easy to avoid” through routine allergy testing, Warren said.
Another reason why it is important to be diagnosed is because doctors can prescribe epinephrine, Gupta said. It is an emergency treatment for anaphylaxis, a serious reaction to an allergen.
Only 44% of adults with a peanut allergy in adults, according to the study, have a prescription for epinephrine compared to 56% of adults with a peanut allergy in the child.
There is no known reason why peanut allergies develop in adults, but a person’s environment or hormones may play a role, Gupta said. She said research is being done to see if a change in a person’s living environment or a fluctuation in women’s hormones as they enter puberty or menopause can cause an allergy.
What to do if you have an allergy
This study revealed that peanut butter allergies in adults are much more prevalent than expected, said Steve Danon, senior vice president and head of public affairs and communications at Food Allergy Research & Education, who was not involved in the study. .
If you suspect you have a peanut allergy, Danon has recommended that you visit your primary care physician to get tested.
In addition to peanuts, he says you should test for other common allergens like tree nuts. Adults with a peanut allergy in adults were more likely to report multiple allergies compared to adults with a peanut allergy in the child, according to the study.
The Food and Drug Administration has not approved any peanut allergy therapy for adults, Warren said, but there is one therapy for children ages 4 to 17. The therapy slowly makes the children insensitive to peanuts, enabling them to ingest the peanut protein and respond more easily or not at all, according to the study.
Another benefit of being diagnosed as an adult is that you can participate in peanut allergy therapy trials, Warren said. Clinical trials are an important part of the process of getting peanut allergy therapies approved for adults.