Breakthrough Treatment Shows Promis

Hope is on the horizon for children who suffer from potentially fatal peanut allergies. A cure for the disorder may be available in the next three years. In a pilot study, 21 of 23 children between the ages of seven to seventeen were successfully treated for peanut allergies, which allowed them to consume foods containing the nut without suffering a reaction. The groundbreaking research conducted at Cambridge University Hospitals in the United Kingdom was recently presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Childhood peanut allergies commonly cause the constriction of airways, breathing difficulties, asthma, itching and swelling. However, about 10 percent of children who suffer from peanut allergies face a serious, multisystem allergic reaction known as anaphylactic shock that for some can lead to death. In addition, sensitivity to peanuts very rarely lessens over time, meaning that children do not outgrow the dangerous disorder.

The new treatment that gradually desensitizes the immune system to peanuts has shown the most promising results to date. According to researcher Dr. Andrew Clark, the research team will launch a major clinical trial involving 104 children beginning in March.In the pilot study, the researchers treated a group of 23 children with peanut allergies by having them consume about 1 milligram of peanuts each day, and then gradually increasing the amount bi-weekly until the children were able to consume about five peanuts daily. The children then continued taking their daily dose for a minimum of six weeks. According to the researchers, the therapy was generally well tolerated with the exception of temporary mouth itching or abdominal pain.

Findings of the study showed that 91 percent of the children were able to consume at least five peanuts daily with no reaction. Of the remaining two children, one was able to safely eat two peanuts daily, and the other dropped out of the study. In addition, after a total of six months, 19 of 21 were able to tolerate 12 peanuts daily, and after one year, 15 of the children were able to tolerate 32 peanuts. For families of the participants, the results were dramatic, as it was no longer necessary for them to carefully read food labels, or live in fear of an allergic attack.