http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Avery+N+%2C+King+R%2C+Knight+S%2C+O%E2%80%99B+Hourihane+J.+%282003%29+Assessment+of+quality+of+life+in+children+with+peanut+allergy.+Paed+Allergy+Immunol+14+%285%29+378-382 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Avery+N+%2C+King+R%2C+Knight+S%2C+O%E2%80%99B+Hourihane+J.+%282003%29+Assessment+of+quality+of+life+in+children+with+peanut+allergy.+Paed+Allergy+Immunol+14+%285%29+378-382)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21708202 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21708202)
Wow-- pretty small sample size, there.
I'm also wondering about two additional factors that I know from experience play a HUGE role in determining QOL:
a) nature of the food allergen
b) reaction history-- especially as it pertains to threshold dose and past reaction severity.
When you take a ubiquitous allergen in a, and combine it with low threshold and severe reactions in b, you get MAJOR impairment in quality of life.
I was amazed at how much less stressful Europe was as compared to daily navigation of north America with a peanut allergy. It was sobering. VERY sobering.
So I don't think that a European study probably has a ton (or maybe a tonne) of bearing on life in North America, necessarily.
Paris would be a complete nightmare for a person with a hazelnut or dairy allergy, for example, but we didn't find it stressful at all.
Quote from: CMdeux on October 31, 2013, 11:30:31 AM
Wow-- pretty small sample size, there.
I'm also wondering about two additional factors that I know from experience play a HUGE role in determining QOL:
a) nature of the food allergen
b) reaction history-- especially as it pertains to threshold dose and past reaction severity.
When you take a ubiquitous allergen in a, and combine it with low threshold and severe reactions in b, you get MAJOR impairment in quality of life.
I was amazed at how much less stressful Europe was as compared to daily navigation of north America with a peanut allergy. It was sobering. VERY sobering.
So I don't think that a European study probably has a ton (or maybe a tonne) of bearing on life in North America, necessarily.
Paris would be a complete nightmare for a person with a hazelnut or dairy allergy, for example, but we didn't find it stressful at all.
Yes, I know tons of food-allergic kids and adults where it barely affects their quality of life even if they have had a previous anaphylactic reaction. They just avoid the allergen and never think about cross-contamination, eat at any restaurant they want, etc. It's not very adult of me to resent these kids, especially ~) but I will admit to being jealous of that allergy lifestyle. Not that I
want them to have worse allergies, just very jealous.
They probably have larger thresholds. It doesn't mean they don't have big reactions just that it takes a decent amount compared to those of us with virtually no threshold. And let's face it: we all know anaphylaxis is dangerous but the quality of life for someone who has to eat a peanut (and only peanut) or two before reacting is going to have a totally different risk calculus than LTFA with multiple allergens who have a history of contact-to-ingestion or aerosol trigger.
Quote from: twinturbo on October 31, 2013, 01:43:32 PM
They probably have larger thresholds. It doesn't mean they don't have big reactions just that it takes a decent amount compared to those of us with virtually no threshold. And let's face it: we all know anaphylaxis is dangerous but the quality of life for someone who has to eat a peanut (and only peanut) or two before reacting is going to have a totally different risk calculus than LTFA with multiple allergens who have a history of contact-to-ingestion or aerosol trigger.
Of course and I know that. I seem to know a lot of people who were one and done with their reactions. They had one reaction years ago, maybe as a child, maybe only eczema or hives, and they avoid the trigger but never worry about it more than that and never had a reaction again. Part of me thinks if you don't even need to think about the allergen except to remember to not knowingly ingest it, say, as a main course, maybe it's weird to keep saying you are allergic? Because then everyone assumes that all food allergies are no big deal.
But I think I am just in a dark, bitter place right now.
Oh, I think that it's FINE to say that you're allergic to whatever you please, really.
What isn't okay is to treat others like they are being "way over-sensitive about it" when they have a different set of management needs. You know, like-- er-- not eating anything at potlucks.
Just for example.
Quote from: CMdeux on October 31, 2013, 10:31:20 PM
Oh, I think that it's FINE to say that you're allergic to whatever you please, really.
What isn't okay is to treat others like they are being "way over-sensitive about it" when they have a different set of management needs. You know, like-- er-- not eating anything at potlucks.
Just for example.
Yes, of course. I have not even really encountered much of that kind of attitude at all and most people I have had to deal with have been just swell about that kind of thing. One thing we do is to always bring a huge fabulous meat dish to a potluck (like a smoked brisket). We take first dibs and everyone oos and aahs over the fancy meat they likely don't usually have time to prepare. Occasionally I have had it implied by people I don't know well (in one instance, a boss) that if I were starving I would find a way to eat my allergy foods but that is inevitable that a few people will come along who have little to no understanding.
Yeah, in the same way they'd eventually drink sea water if lost on the open ocean. It'll go about as well.
Quote from: twinturbo on November 01, 2013, 12:05:00 AM
Yeah, in the same way they'd eventually drink sea water if lost on the open ocean. It'll go about as well.
It's just a myopic attitude about the world. It's like people who assume that in developing and poor countries no one has food allergies - it's a "first world problem". Well, they do. They are probably just more likely to not receive proper care. Long before I developed food allergies, I met a homeless man while I was waiting in front of a theater for an event to start. I had quite a while to wait and we got to talking and I went and bought him a plate of food without asking him about it when I went to get my lunch. It turned out he was allergic to shellfish and could not eat most of it :(. I was so embarrassed and annoyed with myself for not just talking to him and assuming he would take whatever was offered. Of course, I'd probably have no empathy now since I can't eat
anything that has been on a plate with shellfish or anything with mystery ingredients ~).