Allergy hazards

A huge number of people all over the world have serious allergies that may cause severe complications, if not death. Among the latest types there are allergies to peanuts, ragweed, mosses, molds, cats, dogs, and shellfish. As more and more people develop this condition, researchers are trying to understand what causes allergic reactions. Their hope is to find better ways of treating and preventing such unpleasant, sometimes life-threatening reactions.

Many details remain mysterious, however. It’s not clear, for example, why different people react to different things, even within the same family.

An allergy begins when the body encounters a foreign object, such as pollen, nut proteins, or bee venom. At first exposure, the body's immune system reacts as if the object were a germ or parasite. It produces proteins called antibodies, which fight the intruder, or allergen. After your body creates the type of antibodies that trigger allergies, they stay in your bloodstream as a sort of memory of the incident. After that, if you’re prone to allergies, repeated exposure to the same allergen can cause your immune system to react.

That’s exactly what happened to me. I had been stung by plenty of bees in the past. On those occasions, the area around the bite swelled up like a marshmallow in a microwave. Last time, though, as soon as the bee venom entered my bloodstream, antibodies latched onto cells in my blood. These cells then released chemicals called histamines, which caused the swelling, itching, wheezing, and other symptoms. Severe reactions like mine are called anaphylaxis. Now that the antibodies in my blood are primed to react to bee venom, every sting I get in the future will probably cause an even worse reaction. No matter how horrible it sounds, in some ways, though, I feel lucky. At least, I’m not allergic to peanuts.

People with supersensitive peanut allergies can have anaphylactic reactions just from being in the same room as peanut dust. More than 1.5 million Americans are allergic to peanuts. This number is growing, but nobody knows why. One possible cause is that pregnant women and nursing mothers may be eating peanuts before their babies have strong enough immune systems to cope with peanut proteins.

Peanut butter might be another big problem, suggests one recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The United States lags behind China and India in peanut butter production. But people in the U.S. have more peanut allergies. That might be because U.S. producers dry roast peanuts instead of boiling them, the new study suggests. Dry roasting appears to change the peanut protein into a form that triggers a more powerful allergic reaction.

Some scientists have been working to develop new strains of peanuts that are less likely to provoke an allergic attack. Other researchers are searching for new vaccines to prevent allergies from developing in the first place.

For now, awareness and preparation are the best weapons. Some schools are banning peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in their lunchrooms. Allergic people are encouraged to carry special shot dispensers called EpiPens with them at all times.

Even if you’ve never had an allergic reaction, it’s worth knowing how to recognize the signs. Allergies can pop up at any time. Allergy-causing ingredients can get into foods without warning, especially if factories or restaurants reuse dishes or utensils. You might even be able to save the life of one of your friends. Allergic kids, teenagers, and college students rarely carry EpiPens or tell their roommates or friends about their allergies. If you know what to look for, you can run for help in case of emergency.

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Allergy hazards (12-18)