Peanut allergies affect millions of people all over the world. Reactions vary from mild irritation all the way up to life-threatening conditions. It has been thought for a long time that there is no cure for a peanut allergy - if you have one, you have to learn to live with it for the duration of your life. New research might have come to a slightly different conclusion though.
There Is Currently No Cure
Despite the findings of new research which highlighted some vast improvements in people with peanut allergies, it still isn’t possible to completely cure someone of their allergy. The key thing that the study found was that it seems to be possible to significantly reduce the level at which children react during exposure to peanuts. While no guaranteed and complete cure exists, any reduction in risk is something to celebrate.
New Findings
The new research into peanut allergies found that there appears to be a small window of opportunity for children with allergies to have their tolerance of peanuts increased. The window is when the allergic children are very young and involves giving them increasing amounts of peanut protein powder in a safe, controlled environment. Around 2 and a half years into the study, the majority of children could handle the equivalent of 16 peanuts before signs of reaction began to appear. The effects did seem to wear off for some after the study ended but, 6 months later, around 1 fifth of the children could still tolerate up to 16 peanuts without a reaction.
The new research into peanut allergies found that there appears to be a small window of opportunity for children with allergies to have their tolerance of peanuts increased. The window is when the allergic children are very young and involves giving them increasing amounts of peanut protein powder in a safe, controlled environment. Around 2 and a half years into the study, the majority of children could handle the equivalent of 16 peanuts before signs of reaction began to appear. The effects did seem to wear off for some after the study ended but, 6 months later, around 1 fifth of the children could still tolerate up to 16 peanuts without a reaction.
Current Treatment
There has been a treatment available to children over the age of 4 who have a severe allergy to peanuts for a while. The main issue with this treatment is that it’s designed to offer protection from small exposures to peanuts rather than treating the actual allergy. It doesn’t build up a tolerance like the new study did, instead, it looks to minimize the risk of accidental contact with small amounts of nuts. Even with this treatment, children are still told to avoid peanuts as much as possible, carry an EpiPen with them in case they have a reaction as well as other symptom-specific medication. That’s why the new research has proven to be a big thing when it comes to working towards a cure.
Self-Curing
Somewhere between 20% and 25% of children who have a peanut allergy will outgrow it without any intervention. This tends to happen by around the age of 8 - 10 with no real explanation as to why they manage to cure themselves. It’s thought it could be to do with the development of the immune system but it still remains unclear why some children outgrow their allergy while others do not. Unfortunately, if you reach adulthood and you still have a nut allergy, it’s extremely unlikely you will outgrow it and self-cure.
Self-Curing
Somewhere between 20% and 25% of children who have a peanut allergy will outgrow it without any intervention. This tends to happen by around the age of 8 - 10 with no real explanation as to why they manage to cure themselves. It’s thought it could be to do with the development of the immune system but it still remains unclear why some children outgrow their allergy while others do not. Unfortunately, if you reach adulthood and you still have a nut allergy, it’s extremely unlikely you will outgrow it and self-cure.
New Research
The new research involved giving 46 US children between the ages of 1 and 3 peanut protein powder mixed with their food every day. The majority of the children had some kind of reaction to the peanuts at some point throughout the study although most of these reactions were mild. Despite the controlled environment, some of the children did need to use an EpiPen as their reactions were more severe. This shows that, although progress has been made, more work needs to be done in order to find a cure that works for everyone.
The new research involved giving 46 US children between the ages of 1 and 3 peanut protein powder mixed with their food every day. The majority of the children had some kind of reaction to the peanuts at some point throughout the study although most of these reactions were mild. Despite the controlled environment, some of the children did need to use an EpiPen as their reactions were more severe. This shows that, although progress has been made, more work needs to be done in order to find a cure that works for everyone.