Your ER Doc » severe hives http://www.yourerdoc.com Stories from the Emergency Room plus answers to your medical and health related questions Sat, 01 May 2010 19:50:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 en hourly 1 Peanut and Food Allergies and Halloween in the ER http://www.yourerdoc.com/peanut-and-food-allergies-and-halloween-in-the-er/ http://www.yourerdoc.com/peanut-and-food-allergies-and-halloween-in-the-er/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:54:29 +0000 Your ER Doc http://www.yourerdoc.com/?p=532 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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