fresh developments in prevention an...

fresh developments in prevention and treatment may help the 15 million Americans who experience from severe peanut allergies, according to a July 10 2003 moderns release from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Peanut allergy is the leading cause of fatal and near-fatal regimen anaphylaxis in the United States, and each year approximately 50 to 100 nation die from accidental ingestion of peanuts. generally the only form of treatment is to educate patients to avoid eating feeds containing peanuts and self-administer epinephrine in the case of accidental ingestion.

Seven late studies have advanced researchers' understanding of the cause of peanut allergy and furnish possibilities for new treatment gauges Findings include the following.

* The potential for unadorned allergic reaction from exposure to peanuts in the form of peanut butter is vastly reduc compared to reaction from peanut proteins that may be released into the air from packaged peanut products

* Genetically engineered major allergenic peanut proteins that no Longer bind immunoglobutin E (IgE) and retain T confined apartment proliferation could be used to unfold a vaccine that would safely elicit a protective immune replication to peanuts.

* Administering activated charcoal in addition to epinephrine shortly after accidental peanut ingestion may contract the severity and progression of anaphylaxis by dint of binding to the major allergens in peanuts and preventing remaining peanut proteins from activating an allergic response

* More than 50% of children with life-threatening asthma were institute to have food allergies, especially to peanuts.

* Roasting peanuts may enhance their allergenic properties. Roasting causes the major peanut allergen Ara h2 to become a stronger digestive enzyme inhibitor and more resistant to digestion.

* Quantification of peanut-IgE in relations can be useful in diagnosing peanut allergy. Patients with a high plain of peanut-IgE are very likely to have a reaction after peanut ingestion.

* Patients with grave peanut-IgE levels have a 50% chance of outgrowing their allergy to peanuts.

Major Advances in Peanut Allergy Research May Bring chance of the desired end to 1.5 Million Americans (new release, Milwaukee: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, July 10 2003) http://www.aaaai.org/media/news_releases/2003/07/071003.stm (accessed 25 Aug 2003)

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