Attempts to prevent peanut allergy by still including them in the diet could be counterproductive.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousFood allergies in children: thinking about preventing peanut allergy by including them in the diet, according to the dictates of immunotherapy, may not be a good idea.
This was stated by a study from McMaster University that conducted a systematic review of various research onoral immunotherapy for peanut allergy, coming to the conclusion that treating the allergy to this type of dried fruit in childhood by trying to progressively increase its tolerance could worsen the situation rather than give benefits.
If, in short, previous studies indicated that oral immunotherapy, which involves the progressive increase in the doses of an allergen over time, can be effective, now Canadian researchers raise serious doubts about it, showing that Attempts to "desensitize" children actually promote allergic reactions which could also lead to real ones anaphylactic shock.
A systematic review
The team of experts reworked the data from 12 studies conducted on over a thousand young patients, with a mean age of nine years, followed for about a year, comparing the efficacy of oral immunotherapy with the avoidance of various doses of peanuts from the diet.
The researchers found that Oral peanut immunotherapy tripled rates of anaphylaxis, from approximately 7,1% to 22,2%, and that allergic reactions included vomiting, abdominal pain, itchy mouth, hives, wheezing and asthma.
"Numerous studies of varying quality have been published on oral immunotherapy, but its efficacy and reliability are unclear," says Dr. Derek Chu of McMaster University.
This could mean that eliminating peanuts from your diet remains the best choice, but that you always need your doctor.
Read also:
- Peanuts and dried fruit in pregnancy to reduce the risk of allergies in the baby
- Food intolerances and allergies on the rise. Because?
Germana Carillo
