question about \"sensitivity\" ?

When my DS was skin tested for PA he only developed a very small bump. The allergist said normally he would consider the result negative but given that my DS had had a reaction to PB he took it to a CAP RAST test (a blood test). The CAP RAST came back 0.94 which is a low number but nonetheless definitely positive.

Hope this helps,

Jen

Simply re-raising. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

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My sister is a *slow-reactor*. If she eats something today, it could be 2 days from now that she has a reaction. With skin-prick tests she also reacts slower than is usual. A few foods reacted while she was in the office. When she got home there were a lot more reactions and they were much bigger and redder. She returned to the doctor's office to get the full results of her tests.

Personally, I wouldn't necessarily consider that he is *less* sensitive. He may just take longer to react. If you ever suspect he has (or may have) eaten peanut, watch for a longer period. (Better safe than sorry, right?)

I had never heard of someone being "less sensitive" to peanuts - always thought that was kind of like being a "little bit pregnant". But I've met two different people recently with children who are only "mildly allergic." One's 3 year old develops hives whenever she eats an actual peanut/pb., but eats M&Ms and other products containing only traces of peanut with no problem. The other parent's 6 year old can eat anything - including peanut butter cookies, etc. - and does not react at all, unless his immune system is weak (e.g., if he has a cold or attack of hay fever). Then, he breaks out in hives. Both parents say they don't feed the children peanuts/peanut butter, but don't worry about cross-contamination or casual contact at this point, though they and the children's allergists are monitoring them carefully.