Scary story for parents of kids with allergies
Girl with peanut allergy dies after kiss
SAGUENAY, Quebec (AP) — A 15-year-old girl with a peanut allergy died after kissing her boyfriend, who had just eaten a peanut butter snack, hospital officials said Monday.
Christina Desforges died in a Quebec hospital Wednesday after doctors were unable to treat her allergic reaction to the kiss the previous weekend.
Desforges, who lived in Saguenay, about 155 miles north of Quebec City, was almost immediately given a shot of Adrenaline, a standard tool for treating the anaphylactic shock brought on by a peanut allergy, officials said.
An autopsy was being performed. Dr. Nina Verreault, an allergist at the Chicoutimi Hospital in Saguenay, declined to comment on the case.
The symptoms of peanut allergy can include hives, plunging blood pressure and swelling of the face and throat, which can block breathing.
Peanut allergies have been rising in recent decades. The reason remains unclear, but one study found that baby creams or lotions with peanut oil may cause children to develop allergies later in life.
About 1.5 million Americans are severely allergic to even the smallest trace of peanuts and peanut allergies account for 50 to 100 deaths in the United States each year. Canadian figures were not immediately available.
Just one more thing to worry about… Shelby is allergic to cow’s milk. I read on my stepparenting boards all of the time about crazy ex-wives & ex-girlfriends. One of my irrational fears with Shelby is that he might, one day, have one of these crazies in his life, who will cook him a nice meal using milk-based ingredients, as a way of venting her anger at him.
I don’t want him to have to be paranoid about that all of his life…
I hope he outgrows this allergy soon.
