Why do so many people have peanut allergy?

What happened to set these allergies off?
How can we avoid it in our kids?

Peanut allergy has had a lot of publicity lately but I'm not sure it's any more common than other allergies.
It can be quite insidious though because each reaction can be worse than the previous one (as in other allergies) A toddler who develops a rash after eating a peanut butter sandwich may at a later age have a severe reaction and go into anaphalactic shock. (Stop breathing)
A simple blood test, I believe can determine anaphalaxia & I would advise anyone who has had a mild reaction to be tested.
This way a precaution can be taken in the form of an epipen which delivers an injection very easily in a emergency.

A friend of my daughters died as a result of eating Satay when he was fifteen. He did not carry an epipen as his previous reactions had been relatively mild.

Other more common serious allergies are eggs, seafood and bee stings.

Good answer. Report It

This is anecdotal, but ask anyone over 35 if they remember kids with peanut allergies when they were young.

The one thing that messes with your immune system most is vaccination. They've changed drastically over the past 30 years, so have peanut allergies - correllation? Report It

I don't know if Figato is right, but in France, peanut allergies are pretty much unheard of, and "may contain nuts" is never mentionned on a food package. I've always wondered where that type of allergy came from. Report It

I think because peanuts were only found in North America and Europeans who came over, some might not be tolerable to it. Report It

If you dont have a biology degree don't respond to such matters.
Anaphalaxia a response. There are tests to see how your body reacts to certain things. There is no test to determine how badly allergic you are to something. IE you can prove you have a peanut allergy but not if you will die from it. Report It

The peanut allergy is usually passed from mother to child. It can also be developed, say if your child eats 3 PB sandwhiches a day for 3 years... Report It