Research from the University of British Columbia is providing more information on a treatment designed to help young children overcome peanut allergies.
In 2019, researchers showed that a treatment called oral immunotherapy was successful in treating peanut allergies in preschool children.
Now they say that the sooner the treatment is given, the better the result.
“This treatment is affordable, very safe and highly effective, especially if we can start treatment before the baby is 12 months old,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Edmond Chan, in a press release.
The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, focused on infants under 12 months of age and found that oral immunotherapy is safer and more effective for this age group than for young children. older preschoolers.
According to Chan, oral immunotherapy is “a treatment protocol in which a patient consumes small amounts of allergenic foods, in this case, peanut flour, gradually increasing the dose to a certain maximum amount.”
The goal is to desensitize the child until he or she is able to consume a full serving of peanut protein without causing a dangerous reaction.
Research suggests that children should continue to eat peanut products regularly on a long-term basis to maintain their immunity.
Throughout the study, a group of children visited a pediatric allerologist every two weeks to receive their dose of peanuts. Parents were also told to provide the same daily dose at home between clinic visits. After eight to 11 visits, the researchers found that the children had accumulated a “maintenance dose” of 300 milligrams of peanut protein, which is the equivalent of about 1.3 grams of peanuts.
They found that 42 babies completed the accumulation period, plus one year of maintenance dosing.
“In the end, none of them had more than a mild reaction to a dose of 4,000 grams of peanut protein, compared to 7.7 percent of one- to five-year-olds who completed the protocol.” says the study.
Seven babies left the study, and four experienced reactions beyond mild. Researchers say none of the babies required adrenaline injections as a result.
The study also found during the initial tests that only 33.9% of babies had a more than mild reaction, compared to 53.7% of children aged one to five years.
“While babies show the best safety, we were still very pleased with the safety of this treatment for older preschoolers. The risk of a severe reaction is much lower than for school-age children.” says Chan.
“Many of the interventions we use in medicine, such as medications or surgical procedures, involve a small amount of risk that is offset by the benefit. If this treatment is performed by well-trained allergists and doctors, I feel very comfortable with the In fact, it is very safe. “
When it comes to long-term effectiveness, researchers say the treatment worked “equally well” for both age groups.
“After a year of one peanut a day, approximately 80% of children had developed a tolerance to 4,000 milligrams of peanut protein once,” the study says.
That’s the equivalent of about 15 peanuts.
Chan suggests that parents introduce foods such as peanut butter or peanut butter to children around the age of six months, to help prevent peanut allergies when they are older.
The head of allergy and immunology at the UBC Department of Pediatrics at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Chan, has adopted oral immunotherapy in his own clinical practice.
His research will be used to inform future clinical practice guidelines, the study says.