Duke University Allergy Study
An New Study Shows Exciting News for Food Allergy
A new study from Duke University offers a possible new treatment for food allergy sufferers.
According to a study done at Duke University, children with food allergies can slowly be desensitized to the allergen. By slowly exposing children to small amounts of an allergen it seems that a successful study shows that children will begin to build a tolerance. This is exciting news, because the only known treatment for allergies is avoidance.
Children with peanut and egg allergies were introduced to extremely small amounts of the allergen everyday, slowly increasing the amount every two weeks. After two years the results were promising. Most of the children could tolerate more of the allergen then when they started the study. Some children with an egg allergy could tolerate up to two eggs without a problem and children with peanut allergies could eat up to 16 peanuts without a reaction.
A higher tolerance to an allergen is not really a cure, but it makes them more manageable. Accidental ingestion of a food allergen is the number six killer in the United States. Helping children have a higher allergen tolerance will make their reactions less severe and dangerous.
A larger study is in the works. Until then, they do not recommend anyone attempt to try this. Food allergies are very dangerous and experiments like this one are done under close medical guidance. Also, we do not know if the tolerance that is possibly built up to the allergen is permanent, will only continue with daily exposure to the allergen, or even temporary.
