A YOUNG woman trying to stay in shape died after exercise triggered her nut allergy.



 

Maisie Durant, 21, is thought to have suffered from exercise-induced anaphylaxis – a rare condition which can cause an allergic reaction.

Maisie, who was working out “to keep her bum nice and neat”, ate a cereal bar which contained nuts on her way home from a gym in January.

She collapsed in front of her father Jonathan, 58, and died at hospital. Maisie had always been allergic to nuts but had mild symptoms which she controlled with over-the-counter Piriton tablets.

She did not carry an EpiPen, a medical device for the treatment of anaphylaxis.

The Royal Holloway University graduate from Chiswick, west London, may have triggered her condition because allergens from the cereal bar would have been passed into the blood faster after exercise.

Her devastated father said: “She was grabbing for her pills for the nut reaction and then it became clear it was a shed load more serious.

It was horrible. I want to warn people about exercise and allergies.

“Maisie had always taken tablets for allergies, whereas in reality, she should have had an EpiPen and been educated on the risks of exercise.

I’d like to see everybody with allergies be fully equipped and educated.”
 

Mr Durant said Maisie had been planning a trip to Berlin with her boyfriend.

She was registered as an organ donor and has helped to save three lives.

He said: “There was a fun side to her but there was also a serious and generous side. Life was turning into an exciting place for her.”

Maisie’s family have set up a Just- Giving page in her memory and more than £45,000 has been pledged to The Anaphylaxis Campaign.

A campaign spokesman said: “When someone goes into anaphylactic shock, we recommend they lay down, put their feet up, and don’t move.”

An inquest is due to take place.