Alice's five year-old daughter Amy has an allergy to nuts. Walnuts, pecans, and the like cause a reaction so severe that Amy's throat will swell almost shut making it nearly impossible to breath. When Amy was a toddler, they had several close calls before her food allergy was diagnosed. Now, Alice monitors everything Amy eats to be sure nothing contains any trace of the potentially deadly ingredient.

Alice and Amy went to a birthday party for the daughter of Alice's closest friend, Bonnie. Shortly after the cake was served, Amy began gasping for air. Alice ran for the epinephrine syringe in her purse and quickly gave Amy a life-saving injection. Amy recovered.

The emotional questioning that followed revealed Bonnie had baked walnuts into the chocolate cake.

"How could you do that knowing Amy is allergic to nuts?" Alice asked.

"The other day at your house I saw Amy eat a cookie with peanuts in it and she was fine," Bonnie replied. "I thought the allergy thing wasn't really real."

Bonnie didn't realize peanuts are actually legumes, not nuts, so she didn't take Amy's allergic condition seriously.

This fictionalized account of a true story illustrates the life-threatening potential of allergies. Luckily, most allergy patients' symptoms are not this severe, but many are.

If you aren't an allergy sufferer, you probably know someone who is since allergies afflict approximately one in six people according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Common allergy symptoms vary from watery, itching eyes, runny nose, and sneezing to an itchy skin rash or hives. Occasionally, a severe allergic reaction can cause anaphylactic shock and death, as nearly happened to Amy.

Allergies are caused by substances in the environment (called "allergens") that are harmless to most people.

Common allergens include plant pollen, mold, animal hair, feathers, certain foods, and insect venom. Almost anything that contains protein can be a potential allergen to someone.

Some non-protein-based compounds can also be allergens, such as latex, nickel metal in jewelry, hair dye, and many other chemicals.

For those susceptible to allergens, their bodies mount an unwarranted immune system assault on what is perceived as a foreign invader. Antibodies attack the alien substance, instigating other cells to release stored histamine.

Histamine, the principal culprit behind allergy symptoms, increases the supply of blood cells to the location of the antibodies. Histamine causes blood vessels to dilate and become permeable, resulting in redness, swelling, and itching.

Histamine's effects also result in lower blood pressure and bronchial muscle constriction. In severe cases, a drop in blood pressure combined with breathing difficulty and swelling in the throat can induce anaphylactic shock, which may be fatal.

Epinephrine, a natural compound produced by the body, has a direct opposite effect to histamine and can be life saving when a severe allergic reaction occurs.

For milder cases of allergic reaction, common antihistamines (Benadryl, for example) can counter the cold-like symptoms, as well as relieve rash and hives. Hydrocortisone cream can also help relieve itching.

Learn more about this author, Steve Holder.
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