Issue 57 - January 2012 | Archive
Always read the label...
One in three of the UK population is affected by allergies at some point in their lives. While some can be more easily managed and usually result in more minor symptoms, others can be fatal. Allergy UK is the national charity which aims to raise awareness of allergy, food intolerance and chemical sensitivity.
As part of Food Allergy and Food Intolerance Week taking place between 23 and 29 January, NHS Careers will be highlighting some of the NHS staff that help people with a food allergy.
From diagnosis to diet management, NHS staff are crucial to managing a food allergy. Just ask Freddie - he is thirteen, and suffers from a peanut allergy. If it wasn't for NHS staff in his area, he might not have been here to find out. When he was four, Freddie was eating a bag of chocolates, when his mother noticed that he was having trouble breathing. Worried, she called 999 and an ambulance soon arrived. The paramedic said Freddie was suffering from an anaphylactic shock and made him comfortable. On arrival to A&E, Freddie was seen by a paediatric nurse who suspected he might have had an allergic reaction so she asked a phlebotomist to take a sample of his blood.
The next day, Freddie was discharged but it wasn't long before he and his mum were called to a local clinic to see Natalie, a specialist allergy nurse. An immunologist at the hospital had sent her the results of Freddie's blood test. Natalie told Freddie's mum he was allergic to peanuts, which caused the anaphylactic shock, and it was likely that they were in the chocolates he was eating. Concerned about how this might affect Freddie growing up, Natalie referred him to a dietitian. The dietitian explained that as long as food ingredients are checked for peanuts that Freddie can live a happy, normal life. Nine years later, Freddie is like any other thirteen year old boy and he still eats chocolate but always reads the wrapper first.
Ever since she was a child, Lorraine never really liked seafood. She remembers being really ill when she was young after having some prawns and never touched them again. After a night out with her boyfriend to the local Indian restaurant, she started to feel very unwell, including sickness, abdominal cramps and a rash. The next day she went to her GP thinking that she might have food poisoning. Rather than food poisoning, the GP believes that she had had an allergic reaction. Lorraine tells him that the only thing she might be allergic to is seafood but she has not eaten any since she was a child. The GP refers her to a clinic with special interest in allergies.
After seeing a receptionist, she speaks to Helen, the specialist allergy nurse who says that seafood may have made its way into her food at the restaurant and she wanted to check whether she is allergic. Helen does a skin prick test where a small amount of whatever is suspected to be the cause of the reaction is put into the upper layer of skin. It is confirmed that Lorraine is allergic to seafood and they speak to the dietitian.
As a seafood allergy can be very serious, the dietitian tells Lorraine that she is lucky that she has not had a reaction since she was younger. He says to be careful about the food she eats and always look at the ingredients. He also said to be careful when eating out and tell restaurants about her allergy.
