Promising developments about peanut allergies...

This past weekend, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) held their annual meeting in Washington DC. At this meeting, Dr. Wesley Burks (a huge name in the food allergy field) presented some preliminary findings from an ongoing study he is conducting at Duke University and Arkansas Children's Hospital. In this study, 33 participants with a known peanut allergy received daily treatments of peanut protein, starting with the equivalent of 1/1000 of a peanut, and gradually increasing in dosage to the equivalent of 15 peanuts per day. Today, most of the children are now able to tolerate peanuts (in both the treatments and in everyday life) without developing an allergic reaction! (You can read more about the study in the New York Times or view a report that appeared on Good Morning America.) According to Dr. Burks, they may even be able to develop a treatment for peanut allergy within the next 2-3 years.

This is HUGE news for people with food allergies, but a few words of caution first:

• DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! The participants received a very precise dosage in a controlled medical setting, with lots of doctors and medical equipment present in case of a reaction. The dosage was very gradually increased, again by a very precise amount. Four participants actually had to drop out because they weren't able to tolerate the treatment. While it is all very promising, Dr. Burks himself says that more studies need to be completed before the treatment can be used outside of the study setting.
• So far, the treatment only applies to peanut allergy. There is another study that is investigating a similar treatment with egg allergy, but the mechanisms for how each food allergy works may be different. What is effective for peanut allergy may not apply to other food allergies.
• These are all preliminary results. The study has not been published yet, and once it has, it will be subject to a huge amount of peer review and follow-up studies and criticisms.

All of that said, this is definitely exciting news! I am trying to get as much information about the study as I can- I will try to keep you updated with new developments as I hear about them...