Fatal peanut allergy
It has happened again. Last month, 11-year old Tanner in St. George, Utah, died from a severe anaphylactic reaction due to peanuts. He bit down on, but did not ingest, the peanut butter-stuffed pretzel. Within minutes, his tongue and throat began to swell. While being driven back to his house, he developed labored breathing, turned blue and stopped breathing. Unfortunately, he did not have his self-injectable epinephrine with him. He could not be resuscitated and after 2 days he was pronounced dead.
Tanner had been diagnosed with peanut allergy when he was very young and was very aware of his food allergy. Since Tanner also had asthma, this increased his risk of a severe food-allergic reaction.
For the story from the Salt Lake Tribune, go to: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56217364-78/allergy-tanner-henstra-allergies.html.csp
Our prayers go out to the Henstra family and their friends.
Awareness of the dangers of food allergies and the importance of rapid and appropriate treatment are key to decreasing the risk of fatal anaphylactic reactions. Community and school groups may contact an ACE (Anaphylaxis Community Expert) in your area for a presentation at no cost on recognizing and treating severe allergic reactions. Go to: http://www.aanma.org/2010/12/find-an-anaphylaxis-community-expert-ace/