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It is true that nuts and peanuts-- the latter in particular --must be handled with caution by people who are allergic to them. Some cases can be very dangerous and even life threatening. Still there are some common misunderstandings regarding these allergies. We will bust a few of the myths surrounding this topic.

"A positive allergic test means that you are allergic"

Half of the people who receive a positive result on their allergy test are not allergic to peanuts.

"Nuts and peanuts spread allergens across the whole room"

Actually, nut allergens do not spread that far away. Research has instead shown that airborne allergens only spread about 1-2 meters from the source. Dry-roasted peanuts can however spread more allergen that the common roasted peanut with a fatty exterior. On the other hand chocolate with nuts inside, or food cooked with nuts, doesn't spread allergen to the air.

"The next allergic reaction will be worse than the previous one"

This doesn’t have to be the case, it can actually be the opposite. The most important factor is the dose; after a serious allergic reaction caused by a small amount of allergen, a large dose can be even more severe and dangerous. The problem is that nuts and peanuts with ease can be mixed or hidden in the food making it difficult to find.

"Hives and swollen face is equivalent to an allergic shock"

It's not like that. If you had those kinds of symptoms you will not even get an adrenaline pen prescript

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"If you get an allergic shock it will hit you very fast"

In most cases, a person affected by a severe allergic reaction has a fair amount of time to take their medications. The symptoms normally develop during 15-30 minutes.

"If you are allergic to peanuts then you are allergic to all kinds of nuts"

The proteins are similar, but their amino acid sequence and the 3D-structure are different. This means that you can be allergic to peanuts and still be tolerant to other nuts.

"Airborne food allergens can give you difficult or even life threatening reactions"

This does not happen during normal conditions. But if you fry, boil or whip food, the particles spread and can give you symptoms such as asthma. There has to be a constant production of airborne particles to give someone these kinds of symptoms. Therefore if someone is only eating directly from a peanut bag it is not enough to trigger an allergic reaction.

Reference

Allergia. 2015. Sju myter om allergi: Interview with Wickman Magnus. Astma och allergiförbundet. Allergia. (2015-06-30)