Man's death reminders of food allergy risks stark
http://www.thestate.com/sports/story/453342.html [2008-7-7]
Tag : little peanut
Daniel Sargent was at Magnuson Park on Sunday, celebrating a friend's 30th birthday. About 90 seconds after taking a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie, he collapsed. By chance, an Everett pulmonologist, a nurse and a medic were attending the party. They administered CPR until aid crews arrived. Sargent, 30, of Everett, was rushed to Harborview Medical Center. Medical staff battled for two days to help him overcome the complications of anaphylactic shock, an extreme allergic reaction that blocked his breathing and deprived his brain of oxygen. Doctors tried cooling his body for 24 hours and heavily sedating him, in the hope that his body could rest and recover.
Monday afternoon, his blood pressure skyrocketed and his heart rate dropped. Tuesday evening, two neurologists pronounced Sargent brain dead. All this, his family said, from taking one bite out of a homemade chocolate chip cookie, one that had just enough peanut butter to trigger his extreme allergic reaction. Sargent, a Herald employee, was one of about 5,000 people who die each year nationally from anaphylactic shock, which can be triggered by common foods such as peanuts, shellfish and eggs, said Angel Waldron, a spokeswoman for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Peanuts are the most common source of fatal allergic reactions, said Dr. Paul McBride, an allergist at The Everett Clinic. "Your blood pressure can go to zero while your airways swell closed," he said. "And you have literally less than a minute to deal with it before people pass out. That's why immediate treatment is so crucial." Otherwise, he said, death can occur within seconds.
Because peanuts are both inexpensive and good sources of protein, they're used as ingredients in many different products, including cookies, candies and pastries. "It's a lot of products that people just put them in," McBride said. "The people that are allergic are the ones that have to be vigilant. No one else will pay attention for them." Sargent's family said they hope their loss is a reminder of how important it is to label food containing common allergens, even at picnics and other community events.
Daniel Sargent was at Magnuson Park on Sunday, celebrating a friend's 30th birthday. About 90 seconds after taking a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie, he collapsed. By chance, an Everett pulmonologist, a nurse and a medic were attending the party. They administered CPR until aid crews arrived. Sargent, 30, of Everett, was rushed to Harborview Medical Center. Medical staff battled for two days to help him overcome the complications of anaphylactic shock, an extreme allergic reaction that blocked his breathing and deprived his brain of oxygen. Doctors tried cooling his body for 24 hours and heavily sedating him, in the hope that his body could rest and recover.
Monday afternoon, his blood pressure skyrocketed and his heart rate dropped. Tuesday evening, two neurologists pronounced Sargent brain dead. All this, his family said, from taking one bite out of a homemade chocolate chip cookie, one that had just enough peanut butter to trigger his extreme allergic reaction. Sargent, a Herald employee, was one of about 5,000 people who die each year nationally from anaphylactic shock, which can be triggered by common foods such as peanuts, shellfish and eggs, said Angel Waldron, a spokeswoman for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Peanuts are the most common source of fatal allergic reactions, said Dr. Paul McBride, an allergist at The Everett Clinic. "Your blood pressure can go to zero while your airways swell closed," he said. "And you have literally less than a minute to deal with it before people pass out. That's why immediate treatment is so crucial." Otherwise, he said, death can occur within seconds.
Because peanuts are both inexpensive and good sources of protein, they're used as ingredients in many different products, including cookies, candies and pastries. "It's a lot of products that people just put them in," McBride said. "The people that are allergic are the ones that have to be vigilant. No one else will pay attention for them." Sargent's family said they hope their loss is a reminder of how important it is to label food containing common allergens, even at picnics and other community events.
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