can a child have a mild peanut allergy?

luvmybaby28

I am trying to get allergy testing done for my son, as he had breathing issues shortly after I introduced peanut butter and they went away when I stopped giving him peanut butter.  No hives and no immidiate reaction, I thought it was some other respiratory issue, but now that his breathing is back to normal, I really think it may have been the peanut butter.  I am trying to push for a test but would appreciate answers in the mean while: )

loveemandle2

So far, my daughters reactions to peanuts are mild.. she has never broken out in hives from them, but if she gets them in big quantities, or over a period of time she would be covered in eczema.  So, yes kids can have mild reactions. 

 In your case, if you lo is having breathing problems after peanuts I would call that a little more than mild.  It is also important to note of any allergry, but peanuts especially.. Just b/c you have a mild reaction one time, does not mean the next time it would be a serious reaction that includes breathing and/or throwing up, hives, etc..

 

GL!! I hope you get some answers. 

mrs_kelly1014

Yes, there can be different severities of all allergies.

However, any reaction that involves breathing is scary, and all reactions can change at any time. Meaning, if he is allergic to peanuts (as it sounds like he probably is) and had that reaction today, there is no telling what the next reaction could look like. It could be the same severity, or it could be a complete anaphylactic reaction. Or, you could have 10 more reactions just like today. So, if you suspect an allergy at all, avoid the food completely until you have it confirmed (or indefinitely if you don't have DC tested).

I would definitely get him tested though just so that you know for sure, but it really sounds like he reacted to it. No other symptoms? Hives? (DS doesn't have any other symptoms during a reaction either - his throat just closes within about 1-2 minutes of when he was near the allergen and we have to Epi him immediately - he doesn't have to ingest peanuts to react; he is severely allergic).

Also, if it is a peanut allergy, make sure you get Epi pens. You will be able to get the prescription from either your pedi or an allergist, but make sure you get them and then take them everywhere! Good luck!

magdusia

i just posted this on another post and you might think it's helpful also..

IgE	kU/L	Level of Allergen
0	<0.35	Absent/Undectable
1	0.35-0.70	Low Level
2	0.71-3.50	Moderate Level
3	3.51-17.5	HighLevel
4	17.6-50	Very High Level
5	51-100	Very High Level
6	>100	Very High Level

 

you can pretty much be allergic to anything at any level. My son has a LOW allergy to soy, Moderate to Milk, Very High to eggs and peanuts.

you can have a low, med, high allergy to pretty much anything.

Peanuts sound more dangerous than any other allergy b/c of it's reputation. But you can totally have a low allergy.. The only thing i have to add is that if there are breathing issues, it probably is not a low allergy.  Low allergy might be a diaper rash (i think), or some other small issues.  

 

luvmybaby28

thanks for the replies ladies, I really want to get my little boy tested, and I took him in for the breathing issue,I mentioned to pedi that we started peanut butter, and he didn't even suggest allergy testing.

I didn't mean to say that the breathing issue was a mild symptom, it was just mild in the sense that it was so slight that it could have gone unnoticed (everyone else around him said it just sounded like a new sound he was making - started with just the exhale at the end of laughing really hard and then progressed into breathes after exertion).  It honestly didn't seem to correlate to the instances that I gave him peanut butter - at least 10 times, but the intermittent sounds dissipated within less than a week after stopping peanut butter.  It is so scary to think I had been giving him something that he might be allergic to, it seems that allergy testing should be done prior to being exposed to the allergen rather than guessing.

aniceucchik

Jacobs peanut numbers were lower than his milk numbers were, but they were still in the moderate category. We have never had a nut exposure, but he gets hives instantly when any dairy touches his skin/mouth, so I assume peanuts would create a similar reaction.

aniceucchik

magdusia:

i just posted this on another post and you might think it's helpful also..

IgE	kU/L	Level of Allergen
0	<0.35	Absent/Undectable
1	0.35-0.70	Low Level
2	0.71-3.50	Moderate Level
3	3.51-17.5	HighLevel
4	17.6-50	Very High Level
5	51-100	Very High Level
6	>100	Very High Level

 

you can pretty much be allergic to anything at any level. My son has a LOW allergy to soy, Moderate to Milk, Very High to eggs and peanuts.

you can have a low, med, high allergy to pretty much anything.

Peanuts sound more dangerous than any other allergy b/c of it's reputation. But you can totally have a low allergy.. The only thing i have to add is that if there are breathing issues, it probably is not a low allergy.  Low allergy might be a diaper rash (i think), or some other small issues.  

 

love this chart!

Jacobs low to eggs and his reaction is an all over body rash, but its not instant like his milk hives.

BEATOU

Just wanted to add that the chart above is referring to RAST blood test scores. Keep in mind that how high a child's RAST score is doesn't always correlate to how severe their allergy is - but it does give an idea of how likely it is to be a true allergy. In other words, you can have an anaphylactic reaction with a class 1 allergy or just get eczema from a class 3 or 4.

mrs_kelly1014

BEATOU:

Just wanted to add that the chart above is referring to RAST blood test scores. Keep in mind that how high a child's RAST score is doesn't always correlate to how severe their allergy is - but it does give an idea of how likely it is to be a true allergy. In other words, you can have an anaphylactic reaction with a class 1 allergy or just get eczema from a class 3 or 4.

So, so, soooo true. DS's peanut score was a 2 when he was tested at 11 months old. Turns out, he's anaphylactic to even being in a room with someone eating something that contains peanuts. Incredibly allergic and an incredibly severe reaction. (However, his ana reaction was this past February, so I am curious if his levels went up - but regardless, the numbers can't really help you guess what the reaction would be).