Caution for Peanuts for Infants

9/7/17:  Caution for Peanuts for Infants - More Research for Authorization

A single study resulted in a 'qualified' claim that feeding peanuts to infants may reduce peanut allergies, but the FDA recognized that this qualified claim is less than an authorized claim.  The authorized claims carry extra weight including "significant scientific agreement among experts in the field."  In other words, the results of this study were published, but there is not yet confirmation with the leaders of the food allergy world.  The study of the 600 infants only provided enough insight to trigger additional research and studies by the National Health Institute (NIH) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). 

https://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/fda-acknowledges-study-on-early-introduction-of-peanut-for-allergy-prevention

Peanut Desensitization Success & Animal Allergies

8/17/17:  Peanut Desensitization Success

A small clinical trial conducted at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has led to two-thirds of children treated with an experimental immunotherapy treatment being cured of their allergy. Importantly, this desensitization to peanuts persisted for up to four years after treatment. When the 18-month long experiment ended in 2013 some 80 percent of the kids were able to tolerate peanuts.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-08-australian-peanut-allergy-breakthrough.html

8/23/17:  Food Allergies in Animals like that of Humans

According to University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna, animals suffer from food allergies also. "In the case of dogs, cats or horses, however, the adverse reactions mostly affect the skin, followed by the gastrointestinal tract. 'Asthma or severe shock reactions have rarely been observed in animals,' notes Pali-Schöll."  The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is dedicating a group to concentrate on this issue.  Perhaps learning answers for animals will help humans as well.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170823094121.htm

Test Results & Rash Indicators

7/1/2017:  Test Results & Rash Indicators

According to a report titled, "Critical Issues in Food Allergy: A National Academies Consensus Report," a positive allergy result is only an indicator of a possible allergy, it is not a final determinant.  "These tests detect IgE antibodies to the food but are not typically intrinsically diagnostic. For example, in 111 OFCs performed in 44 children avoiding foods because of positive test results, 93% were tolerant of the avoided food."  To further complicate matters, sometimes when there is no IgE antibody a serious food symptom can result such as blood in stools. The report indicated that rashes are a symptom of a food-related issue and may take longer to appear and may be in combination of a variety of symptoms. Even worse, rashes can cause the skin to increase sensitivities to allergens if touched. 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2017/07/19/peds.2017-0194.full 

Peanut Skin Patch

6/15/2017: Peanut Skin Patch

A study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and led by by Hugh Sampson, MD, of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York found that after one year, "researchers assessed each participant’s ability to consume at least 10 times more peanut protein than he or she was able to consume before starting EPIT...The patches were developed and provided by the biopharmaceutical company DBV Technologies under the trade name Viaskin. Each day, study participants applied a new patch to their arm or between their shoulder blades."

http://www.allergyandasthmacare.com/2017/06/index.html

Peanut Allergy Causes Chronic Pain

5/15/2017:  Peanut Allergy Causes Chronic Pain

Even if people don't go into anaphylaxis, chronic pain can be a result of food allergies according to a study conducted by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute at the Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital in Autralia.  The study followed thousands of children since they were one year old through ten years old.  Researchers have found that while many children grow out of their food allergies after they reach the age of four, babies and toddlers can spend their early lives in pain without their parents knowing the specific cause. For example, one child had peanut butter for breakfast every morning, then once that was eliminated the pain the child felt went from 70% to 10%.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-15/food-allergies-may-be-to-blame-for-child-illness-researchers-say/8527708