Large-scale research promotes food allergy treatments another step towards realization
Up to eight out of every 100 children in the US suffer from food allergies, and this rate increased by 18% from 1997 to 2007. Although some children outgrow allergic reactions as they grow up, many of them have to deal with a spectrum of symptoms ranging from tingling and itching in the mouth throughout their lives and to blockages in the airways and drops in blood pressure that could endanger their lives.
Until now, the only way to prevent allergic reactions was to avoid the allergenic food, although this can be a difficult task because many products contain traces of nuts, wheat and milk. A new study provides unequivocal evidence that completely opposite behavior, that is, exposing the patients to increasing doses of the allergenic food, may help some of them to overcome the sensitivity. Wesley Barks, professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and his colleagues conducted the largest placebo-controlled study of its kind. The researchers started the treatment of 40 children allergic to eggs with doses of egg protein powder equal to one ten-thousandth part of an egg. The researchers, who published their findings in July 2012 in the New England Journal of Medicine, gradually increased the doses, and after 22 months of treatment followed by a two-month break, 28% of the children were able to eat a portion equal to two and a half eggs. A year later, all these children ate eggs without allergic reactions. The approach, known as oral (by mouth) immunotherapy, is based on the same principles as shots for airborne allergens, although shots may be less safe for treating food sensitivities.
Researchers believe that the treatment, which is now also being tested against allergies to peanuts and dairy products, "teaches" the body to tolerate what previously provoked a rejection reaction. Blood tests in children who responded to treatment showed lower levels of IgE antibodies, which stimulate the immune response, and increased levels of IgG4 antibodies, which reduce inflammation. Those who fail the egg test may need longer treatment, says Barks, or they may be too sensitive to respond to treatment.
A synthetic antibody may help particularly sensitive patients by binding to (and therefore removing) IgE antibodies from the blood. The antibody has already been approved for the treatment of allergies against airborne substances, and is in trials for oral immunotherapy. "The hope is that we will be able to develop a treatment in the coming years," says Barks.
One response
It makes a lot of sense, our body is fortified and immunized when it is exposed to viruses and external factors. A child, who lives in a sterile environment, in most cases will get sick when he leaves it for the normal world. Probably the same with food and allergies. If from a young age you are exposed to the source in small quantities, then the chance of an allergy will be lower.
The question is whether it is worth "trying it at home" and exposing the children to food in minimal quantities.