Nutty or smart? Possible in-flight peanut ban or restrictions concern many

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening, often unexpected, allergic reaction that affects many parts of the body at once. Like other allergic reactions, anaphylaxis is the body's overreaction to a foreign substance that ordinarily is harmless. Symptoms of anaphylaxis include hives, swelling and flushing, difficulty breathing and wheezing, swelling of the tongue, throat and nose, dizziness and a dangerous drop in blood pressure, nausea and cramping. The symptoms can occur within minutes of exposure to the offending allergen but also can develop after 30 minutes or more.

→About 200 fatal cases of anaphylactic shock occur in the U.S. each year.

→Peanuts or tree nuts cause more than 80 percent of those reactions.

→ www.foodallergy.org

→ www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot11010.html

SOURCES: Duke University, American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.