Confusion compounds nut afflictions.

• Position: Food Allergies

Adults and children correctly could identify, on average, fewer than half of an assortment of the peanuts and tree nuts that are among the most common food allergens in the U.S., points out a study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Parents of children with peanut and tree-nut allergies did no better at identifying the samples in the survey than did parents of kids without this food allergy. Only half of participants with a peanut or tree-nut allergy identified correctly all forms of the nuts to which they were allergic.

The 19 samples included various nuts in and out of the shell, and some were chopped, sliced, or diced just as they appear on grocery store shelves. The study included samples of peanuts as well as cashews, Brazil nuts, pistachios, almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, Macadamia nuts, and pine nuts.

The findings suggest that education about the appearance of all forms of peanuts and tree nuts is an important follow-up to the diagnosis of any kind of nut allergy. An estimated 1.2% to 1.4% of Americans are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.

"When we ask patients to avoid peanuts and tree nuts, we shouldn't assume patients know what they're looking for because they may...