Researchers found an innovative way to treat peanut allergies
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Peanut allergies are one of the most widespread in the world, and also one of the most dangerous, especially for kids. Staying away from foods which might contain traces of peanuts might be difficult, but a team of researchers from Australia might have found a solution to this persistent problem.
Peanut allergies, more dangerous for children
Children are in more danger if they struggle with peanut allergies, as any small trace of the food can turn out deadly for them. This is why most schools have banned peanuts and peanut products, so not even kids without allergies are allowed to consume the food. However, permanently banning allergens from public places is not a solution.
This is why scientists from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia wanted to find a way to destroy peanut allergies. Therefore, they tried an innovative method called immunotherapy on several kids struggling with this kind of allergies.
Treating peanut allergies with peanuts
Immunotherapy consists of exposing patients to a controlled dose of the allergen, in our case peanuts. This exposure would lead to an autoimmune response. If patients receive the proper treatment over a longer period of time, their bodies might get used to the allergen and adjust their reactions to it.
This trial started in 2013 and lasted for 18 months. About 80 percent of the children who took part in this experiment came to tolerate peanuts. Researchers looked at their condition again, four years after the trial, and they can still eat this food without experiencing severe allergic reactions.
However, parents need to be careful. This was only a small trial, which used quite a small sample of participants. Before such a treatment should become widely embraced, researchers need to make sure it works on a larger scale as well. Even so, this is a huge achievement, showing that we might be on the way to beating peanut allergies.
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