Two new studies offer help to children suffering from serious peanut consumption of peanuts, by suggesting it is possible to build childrens’ tolerance over time by slowly increasing their consumption of peanuts.
Small and building upon each other, both studies targeted peanut-allergic children prompting their immune systems to slowly develop tolerance over a period of up to five years, by consuming a controlled but escalating amount of peanuts.
Study co-author Dr. Tamara Perry said the study’s goal was not that of allowing patients with peanut allergies to eat peanuts consciously; rather it was to prevent the severe symptoms occurring due to accidental ingestion.
Though, as Perry says the study’s ultimate goal was to promote tolerance, so that these patients, both children and adults would be able to eat peanuts, and the immunotherapy work being carried out shows great promise in that direction.
However, there are potential side effects where immunotherapy is concerned, such as, sneezing, itchiness, nausea, the risk of anaphylactic shock (a potentially fatal drop in blood pressure), including other serious reactions.
The study’s finding will be presented Saturday at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) meeting held in New Orleans.
A peanut allergy causes sudden breathing problems and can even end in death and according to the AAAAI, over three million people in the USA suffer from peanut allergy.
However, even though the study’s findings of eating very small amounts of peanuts over a long period of time desensitizes children to the nuts, lessening the risk of a life-threatening emergency are very positive, one must not forget it is still a developing science. And further, research is needed before patients can be told the therapy would help them and whether they were suitable to undergo it, in terms of safety.
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