Because of her peanut butter allergy

Nov 27, 2005 11:23 GMT  ·  By

It's a well-known fact that allergies can be fatal and that the allergen agents should be avoided at all times, but accidents which cause the loss of human lives inevitably occur.

Such an accident took place on Monday in Quebec, when a peanut allergic teenager went into anaphylactic shock after being kissed by her boyfriend who had just consumed a peanut butter sandwich.

Despite the fact that she was immediately given an adrenaline injection, 15-year-old Christina Desforges, could not be resuscitated.

According to AP, Dr. Nina Verreault, an allergist at the Chicoutimi Hospital in Saguenay said peanut allergies are seldom fatal.

A statistic says that about 100 persons in the US die each year of food allergies, most of them because of peanuts.

The anaphylactic shock blocks the respiratory ways and can be triggered by several factors, among which the stings from several insects, types of cheese and nuts.

Pediatric allergist Karen Sigman told CTV's Tania Krywiak that, if peanuts are still on the tongue or the lips, they can still cause a reaction.