Kissing and peanuts can be deadly combo

People who are allergic to peanuts might be taking their life into their own hands if they kiss someone who has just eaten a peanut product, even if that person has brushed his or her teeth. So claims research that was presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting, in Miami Beach. Some 11 million Americans suffer from food allergies, and 150 to 200 people die each year from unknowingly ingesting the wrong food. Food allergies account for at least 30,000 emergency-room visits in the United States each year, and probably many more. Allergy to peanuts is one of the most dramatic, and deadly, examples of a food allergy. The prevalence of this allergy has doubled in children in a five-year period. Last year, a 15-year-old, peanut-allergic Quebec girl died after kissing her boyfriend, who had just eaten peanuts. It was thought that the kiss contained peanuts, and was therefore deadly. The Quebec coroner, however, recently announced that the girl had died from something else. For the new study, researchers wanted to determine how much peanut allergen lingered in saliva after a meal, and after brushing teeth. Ten people ate two tablespoons of peanut butter in a sandwich; their saliva was collected and tested after eating, and after cleaning their teeth. By one hour after eating, the allergen level in six of the seven subjects was undetectable. But allergen remained in the saliva immediately after the meal, even after teeth cleaning or rinsing. The study authors suggested that people might want to wait several hours after eating an allergen before kissing anyone. Teenagers would do well to heed this and other advice, as another study found that food-allergic teens took risks according to different social circumstances. Researchers asked 174 participants aged 13 to 21 to fill out questionnaires. Three-quarters of the individuals suffered from peanut allergy or two or more allergies; 82 percent had had anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can cause death; and 52 read more