Peanut allergy

Peanut allergy is acute and severe with symptoms of immediate hypersensitiv ity. This allergy is very common, affecting 1% of preschoolers. The inciden ce has increased with succeeding generations, and is possibly due to the in creasing exposure of children to peanuts at a young age. Diagnosis is via h istory skin prick test, and serum IgE level. The mainstay of therapy is avo idance. Treatment of anaphylaxis includes epinephrine and antihistamines. C hildren usually will not outgrow this food allergy. Novel treatment with ru sh immunotherapy and enzyme-potentiated desensitization is not currently ac ceptable, We describe a 27-month-old Asian boy with a typical presentation of peanut hypersensitivity. A good understanding of the epidemiology of thi s illness is necessary for treatment and prevention.