Protecting peanut-allergic children

The authors of a recent report on the effectiveness and safety of oral immunotherapy believe it may be a safe and effective treatment for developing enough peanut tolerance to protect many high-risk peanut-allergic children from accidental exposure.

In a trial involving 23 children between ages three and 14 years, a minute daily dose of roasted peanut was gradually increased over a period of several months to the equivalent of one small peanut (500mg). Over the 7 month period of the trial, 14 of the 23 participants reached a tolerance for the maximum dose of 500 mg. Those who tolerated the maximum dose level without significant reaction were then given a steady daily dose of peanut to eat for several weeks.

At the conclusion of the trial, the study results indicated that peanut oral immunotherapy with a long-term build up period appears to be a safe and effective treatment for developing tolerance to low levels of peanut.

It must be noted that such treatment should only be conducted under close medical supervision. The authors conclude more clinical studies are needed to evaluate all the risks and benefits of oral immunotherapy before it can be considered as a routine medical therapy in children with peanut allergy.

Reference: Blumchen et al. 2010. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Vol 126(1), pp. 83-91.e1