A SWINDON schoolboy has used his own painful experience to develop a mobile app that could save the lives of allergy sufferers.

Adam Foot, 16, was diagnosed with a peanut allergy when he was just three years old. It means that anything he eats has to be checked thoroughly for ingredients or he may suffer anaphylaxis - a severe reaction that is potentially life-threatening.

He decided to act after he signed up for a study at St Mary’s Hospital in London late last year but was unable to take part because he was too allergic.

In an initial test he had to eat a boiled peanut.

“My face swelled up, I had hives all over my body. They felt like sunburn and I fainted,” he told the Advertiser.

Disappointed he went home and got to work.

“It made me want to do something else that would help others with the allergy,” he said

AllergyMe, an app that contains the phone or tablet owner’s medical information and an alarm, was the result. It has just gone live and he has already had his first customers.

He said: “I was pretty happy when someone bought it because I’ve put a lot of effort into it.”

His effort has also attracted interest from the Anaphylaxis Campaign, a nationwide charity that raises awareness and provides support to people who suffer severe allergic reactions.

The Nova Hreod pupil had already been learning a computer language called Python during his IT lessons and also taught himself the Apple mobile operating system iOS.

AllergyMe was his first attempt at creating an app and he learned as he went along.

Users tap in their vital information and can set it to appear as the wallpaper on their device so it is visible even if the screen is locked. It means the information is there for first aiders if the owner suffers a severe reaction and needs help.

He also also developed a second app called AllergyMe Translate, which translates phrases, words and medical details into different languages.

Adam, whose lives with mum Sarah and dad Dave in Haydon Wick, said living with the condition, which also affects his brother Toby, 13, was awkward.

Only recently he suffered a painful attack after eating a pizza even though he had checked for peanut on the ingredients list. He later discovered it contained paste made from tamarind, which can cause the same reaction.

Sarah said: “We’re very proud of him and what he has done. He showed us every stage. Every little update, we’ve seen it.”

She said he dealt with his allergy very well but living with it was restricting.

“Going out to eat in a restaurant is very hard. You have to ask if they have peanuts in the kitchen. It stops you doing things,” she said.

AllergyMe is available from the App Store at 99p.