Immune Therapy Cracks Egg, Peanut Allergies

March 1, 2010 (New Orleans) -- An experimental treatment in which children
with food allergies are fed tiny amounts of the very food to
which they're allergic is allowing some kids with peanut allergies to enjoy peanut butter and some with egg
allergies to eat scrambled eggs.
Three new studies suggest that the strategy, known as oral immunotherapy,
can help kids build up tolerance to foods to which they are allergic.
Still, the ongoing studies are small and the children haven't been followed
for that long, says Wesley Burks, MD, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology
at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., who was involved in all
three studies.
Don't try this at home, he cautions. Unless they're in the study, Burks
gives the same advice to patients with food allergies that he always has given:
avoid the offending food.
"The findings are promising but we're not there yet. Families shouldn't do
this at home on their own as there is a chance a child could have a significant
life-threatening reaction," Burks tells WebMD.
Studies in children with milk allergies also show promise, he says.
The studies were presented here at the annual meeting of the American
Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).




See
WebMD's Slideshow on 10 Common Allergy Triggers

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