Well, it’s that time of year again – October 31st is always an interesting evening in the ER.I would like to offer this tip to avoid Halloween turning into a true nightmare.
Most ER docs grow to have a healthy respect, (and fear) of peanut allergies. I have seen some truly impressive allergic reactions to peanuts, and Halloween is a particularly dangerous time for children who have these allergies.
The reason is simple. Kids love candy and want to cram as much of it as possible into their mouths, often all at once. If their parents let down their guard and allow even one candy bar with peanuts to be swallowed, the results can be very dangerous.
The last time I saw a child with a peanut allergy, it was from eating a homemade treat that had peanuts in it. The parents were not aware of this, and the boy developed severe hives and wheezing. He ended up doing well after treatment, but everybody got a scare.
If your child has allergies be sure to review this post on Epi Pens:
So please, if your child has a nut, or other food allergy, please take all the candy home for careful inspection prior to eating. Then we can all relax.
If you have a child with a peanut allergy you may find this site and check list helpful:
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Good reminder for parents. Thanks.
why don’t parents teach their children who have such severe allergies to things like peanuts to be carefull. I know of a little boy who would ask if something had peanuts in it when he was 2yo and knew to say, “no thanks,” if it did contain peanuts. Why do most parents not do that? Anaphylaxis can kill you very fast if epinepherin is not on hand.
Males, 40 years old as well as above are vunerable to that, as well as diabetic people.
In some instances, the hypersensitive reaction
might be significant enough to create a case of hives.
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