Charles Schulz launched the "Peanuts" cartoon on October 2, 1950, in seven newspapers. Eventually it appeared daily in 2,600 papers in 75 countries.

The funny and often poignant responses of Charlie Brown and the other Peanuts characters resonated with adults, not just kids.

According to a Northwestern University survey published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, peanuts can do that. In fact, researchers have discovered that more adults than kids have a peanut allergy. Some 4.5 million Americans over the age of 17 have the condition — and many developed it as adults.

Sadly, they are sidelined when it comes to management of peanut allergies.

While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved an allergy therapy (Palforzia) for kids 4 to 17, there are no FDA-approved therapies for adult-onset food allergies. That leaves many of the approximately 900,000 adults who end up in the ER every year with a reaction to peanuts without the help they need.

According to the study, too many people 17 and older are not receiving essential counseling and a prescription for life-saving emergency epinephrine.

Compounding the problem: Two-thirds of adults with peanut allergy have at least one other food allergy, often to tree nuts or shellfish.

If you suspect you have a peanut allergy, see a doctor pronto for a diagnosis and treatment.

If you are diagnosed but don't carry an EpiPen (injectable epinephrine) to counter an allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock), start doing it now — all the time, everywhere.

And check out foodallergy.org for more information on adult food allergies.