Allergic? Kiss With Caution
Allergic? Kiss With Caution
Pass on Peanuts Before Puckering for a Peck
June 14, 2002 -- Eating nuts before puckering up could send your mate reeling -- into the emergency room, that is. Researchers say a surprisingly large number of people with severe food allergies have reported potentially life-threatening reactions after kissing someone who's eaten nut products up to six hours beforehand.
A report in the June 6 New England Journal of Medicine shows 20 out of 379 people with food allergies to nuts or seeds who were interviewed by researchers just happened to mention that kissing had prompted an allergic reaction -- even though researchers hadn't specifically asked them about it.
"The possibility of an allergic reaction to a kiss is probably far from the minds of most people with food allergies," write Rosemary Hallett, MD, and colleagues from the University of California, Davis. "However, the fact that 5.3 percent of our subjects volunteered this type of personal information suggests that a higher percentage of patients with severe food allergies are at risk."
In each case, the reaction began less than a minute after the offending kiss. All 17 of the people who were available to talk to researchers about their experience reported having hives, itching, and/or swelling in the area where they had been kissed. Four developed wheezing after the kiss.
Although most of the reactions were mild, something as innocent as a mother's peck on the cheek was enough to cause a life-threatening reaction in her 3-year-old son. His mother said she had just tasted some pea soup on the stove before giving her son a kiss, but it's not known if the soup may have contained peanut flour or whether the child had a pea allergy in addition to the nut allergy.
Researchers say brushing your teeth may not be enough to protect your mate from potential nut allergens. Four people reported having a reaction after their partner had brushed his or her teeth.
The study authors say although most allergic reactions to foods happen after accidentally eating a food containing an allergen such as tree nut products, their research shows kissing deserves attention as another mode of transmission and potential risk factor.
"Since one third of our subjects had reactions while dating, teenagers and young adults in particular need to be informed about this mode of exposure to allergens; patients of dating age who have severe food allergies may need extra encouragement to tell friends about it," write the authors.
Allergic? Kiss With Caution.
Pass on Peanuts Before Puckering for a Peck
June 14, 2002 -- Eating nuts before puckering up could send your mate reeling -- into the emergency room, that is. Researchers say a surprisingly large number of people with severe food allergies have reported potentially life-threatening reactions after kissing someone who's eaten nut products up to six hours beforehand.
A report in the June 6 New England Journal of Medicine shows 20 out of 379 people with food allergies to nuts or seeds who were interviewed by researchers just happened to mention that kissing had prompted an allergic reaction -- even though researchers hadn't specifically asked them about it.
"The possibility of an allergic reaction to a kiss is probably far from the minds of most people with food allergies," write Rosemary Hallett, MD, and colleagues from the University of California, Davis. "However, the fact that 5.3 percent of our subjects volunteered this type of personal information suggests that a higher percentage of patients with severe food allergies are at risk."
In each case, the reaction began less than a minute after the offending kiss. All 17 of the people who were available to talk to researchers about their experience reported having hives, itching, and/or swelling in the area where they had been kissed. Four developed wheezing after the kiss.
Although most of the reactions were mild, something as innocent as a mother's peck on the cheek was enough to cause a life-threatening reaction in her 3-year-old son. His mother said she had just tasted some pea soup on the stove before giving her son a kiss, but it's not known if the soup may have contained peanut flour or whether the child had a pea allergy in addition to the nut allergy.
Researchers say brushing your teeth may not be enough to protect your mate from potential nut allergens. Four people reported having a reaction after their partner had brushed his or her teeth.
The study authors say although most allergic reactions to foods happen after accidentally eating a food containing an allergen such as tree nut products, their research shows kissing deserves attention as another mode of transmission and potential risk factor.
"Since one third of our subjects had reactions while dating, teenagers and young adults in particular need to be informed about this mode of exposure to allergens; patients of dating age who have severe food allergies may need extra encouragement to tell friends about it," write the authors.
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