A new therapy in London has helped allergic children increase their peanut immunity.
Peanut allergies are one of the most common types among children, with nearly 1 in 50 affected globally. But an experimental new treatment from doctors in London may have found a way to help children build up an immunity to peanuts that could be useful in the event of accidental ingestion. The trial involved 99 children between ages seven and sixteen.
On Thursday, the doctors leading the study said they could help children overcome their peanut allergies by feeding them a small amount of the substance itself. Carefully monitored volumes of peanut flour was fed to those who were participating in the research, with more than 80 percent of participants able to safely consume the substance. These doses were given over the course of several months to induce tolerance in the children who had the potentially deadly allergy.
The treatment took place over six months and was known as oral immunotherapy or OIT. A majority of the children could safely have about .03 ounces of the peanut powder, which is the equivalent of about five actual peanuts. This is significant because it is over 25 percent more than they were previously able to tolerate and is much larger than any accidental dose is likely to be.
“The treatment allowed children with all severities of peanut allergy to eat large quantities of peanuts, well above the levels found in contaminated snacks and meals, freeing them and their parents from the fear of a potentially life threatening allergic reaction,” study leader Andrew Clark from Cambridge University Hospitals wrote in his findings.
While these advancements in allergy treatments are being made, the best way to prevent an attack is to keep your child away from pollutants and the air in your home clean. Help prevent any possible allergy attacks with a Carbon air purifier from US Air Purifiers.