Just when we were growing accustomed to life with peanut allergies, medical practitioners are warning that another food must be approached with caution -- the sesame seed.

According to the most recent edition of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the sesame allergy is one of the fastest-growing allergies in the world.

And a growing number of North Americans are developing allergies to sesame seeds, which are now commonly used in salad dressings, baked goods, and ethnic foods.

In fact, the sesame seed allergy seems to be following in the footsteps of the peanut allergy, which doubled among children over a five-year period, according to a 2003 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology study.

"It's not as widely appreciated that the sesame seed allergy is increasing in prevalence, and is now among the top 10 food allergies [on the continent]," said Dr. Peter Vadas, the director of the division of allergy at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Eden Prosser doesn't doubt the allergy's prevalence. The four year old had an intense reaction when she tasted a dip containing sesame seeds.

"Instantly, she turned [around] and had hives all the way up her arm," recalls her mother, Alison. "Her face started to puff out and her eye was closing."

The reaction was almost fatal. Eden survived but, despite her parents' vigilance, she has had several rashes and has even stopped breathing on occasion.

"I think the hardest thing is that I'm afraid," says Alison. "I'm always afraid no matter where we go or what we do. There is not a moment when I'm not thinking of her allergies."

With sesame seeds now appearing in everything from salad dressings to soap, there are more people who share Eden's problem.

Nonetheless, sesame seed allergy sufferers often have trouble convincing friends and family members of the authenticity of their condition.

"People don't get it," says Laurie Harada, executive director of Anaphylaxis Canada. "They don't get it that sesame seeds can be problematic, just like peanuts."

And there's another problem: standard tests might not detect this allergy.

"If the blood test is negative and the skin test is negative then a physician may unwittingly reassure the patient, falsely, that he isn't allergic to sesame seeds when he is," said Vadas.

Odds are, the general public and doctors alike will become more cognizant of sesame seed allergies as they become more common.

"The more vigilant we are, the more outspoken we are, the safer Eden will be," says her mother.

Based on a report by CTV's medical correspondent, Avis Favaro