The Need For Strict Avoidance of Your Allergen

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Exposure to your allergen decreases your chances of outgrowing it according to Dr. Sami Bhana, past President of the American College of Asthma Allergy and Immunology (ACAAI) and professor of pediatrics and medicine and chief of the Allergy/Immunology Section at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Dr. Bhana stated in his 2010 lecture at the Allergy Update conference in Toronto, Ontario that:  Ten to twenty percent of kids grow out of peanut allergy. Their immune system forgets the reaction IF:

1. It takes them a higher amount to react; AND
2. They strictly avoid peanuts; AND
3. They strictly avoid all tree nuts (since they’re cross-reactive foods).

Most people don’t know that if you had a mild reaction in the past, you’re at risk of having a life threatening one in the future. Here is the support I found:

Studies show that you are at a higher risk for an anaphylactic reaction if you had mild reactions in the past.
See this Mayo Clinic video (at about 20 seconds):

People who’ve had a mild reaction to a food substance or insect sting should be wary. A mild reaction in the first episode, for example a couple of hives, could be associated with a severe or life threatening reaction the next time.

Click here to visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge-newspaper-2008/July-04a.html Accessed February 26, 2011

Individuals who have had a prior mild reaction to an allergen may also be at risk, because a severe reaction may be preceded by a less serious one.

Click here to visit http://www.epipen.com/allergicemergencies/at-risk Accessed February 26, 2011

Although the initial exposure to an allergen does not usually cause severe symptoms, the potential to develop more severe symptoms of anaphylaxis increases with each subsequent exposure.

Source: Medical Disability Advisor

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