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
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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