AN nut allergy sufferer has relived her terror at going into anaphylactic shock after it emerged hospital admissions for allergic reactions in England have risen by more than a third over the past five years.

NHS figures show while the number of admissions at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust fell by one to 177 over the period, the Newcastle trust saw admissions soar from 201 to 669, while South Tees experienced a rise from 90 to 156 and York from 43 to 118.

Newcastle University biology student Ruby Scott, of Easingwold, North Yorkshire, said she experienced an immediate reaction after eating a small amount of a chicken korma dish from Jaipur Spice restaurant in the town in 2014.

The incident came just three weeks before barman Paul Wilson, of Helperby, near Thirsk, died after tasting a meal from another Indian restaurant in Easingwold, The Indian Garden, which was also owned Mohammed Zaman, who was jailed for six years in May for gross negligence manslaughter.

Mr Wilson had suffered anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction, and is thought to have died while attempting to vomit the curry he had eaten.

The reaction is the body’s response to sensing foreign substances such as shellfish, latex, penicillin, peanuts, almonds, sesame, fish, shellfish and dairy products.

Miss Scott said she had specifically asked for no nuts to be included in the meal, having become aware of her peanut allergy aged 16, and had received reassurances from the restaurant’s staff.

She said: “I just had a mouthful of the curry and went into an anaphylactic reaction. My mouth swelled up, I came out in hives and felt sick. It was awful.”

Miss Scott, who was taken to hospital where she made a rapid recovery after receiving treatment, said she had found other people took care to avoid nuts when she was around, but if she went into anaphylactic shock the results could be more serious.

NHS figures have revealed the number of people suffering serious reactions across England resulting in hospital admissions, saw 29,544 hospital admissions in 2015-16 for allergic reactions, compared with 22,206 admissions in 2011-12.

The cause of the rise remains unclear, with allergy experts saying it could be linked to increased awareness of allergies and numbers of people being issued with auto-injectors. Allergy sufferers are told to attend hospital after using the devices.

Other experts claim the rise is due to resistance to allergy-causing bacteria and dust generally decreasing, due to rising levels of cleanliness.

Yorkshire allergy expert Dr Donald Hodge said: “We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of referrals for children who have developed allergies, and this is undoubtedly because living in a cleaner world has lowered our ability to build up a resistance to substances like dust and pollen.” Amena Warner, of Allergy UK added: “Modern lifestyles, our tendency to spend more time indoors and under use of our natural immune systems may all play their part.