The problem with food allergies and children is that there are no reliable methods of testing for allergies. As you may have heard, there is a blood test they can do to look for the presence of the immunoglobulin E antibody, which will indicate an allergy or food intolerance. However, many people have tested positive for an antibody, even though they have no reactions to food whatsoever. Then there is the “skin prick test,” where doctors place a little bit of the allergen beneath the skin and wait to see if there is any reaction. Of course, this method is not 100% proven either and it cannot determine whether the reaction will be mild or severe. Some doctors believe the most accurate way to test for food allergies in children is to give them small doses of the food in a clinical setting and observe their reaction.
“Children Can Complete Treatment For Peanut Allergies And Achieve Long-Term Tolerance, Studies Suggest,” reads a Science Daily headline. Duke University Medical Center doctors have been studying food allergies in children for a long time. At the beginning of the monitored clinical tests, participants with this type of nut allergy couldn’t even tolerate one sixth of a peanut, yet within six months they were eating 13 to 15 peanuts before a reaction occurred. Nine of the thirty-three children in the study have been on maintenance therapy for over 2.5 years; of these children, 4 can now eat peanuts freely. “It appears these children have lost their allergies,” explains Wesley Burks, MD. “This gives other parents and children hope that we’ll soon have a safe, effective treatment that will halt allergies to certain foods. We see initial desensitization effects of the treatment are real,” Burks says. “Those children are now able to eat up to 15 peanuts with no reaction, but the children not on treatment have symptoms early on in the study.”
An August 2009 food allergies and children headline reads, “Milk May Be Safe, Even Encouraged, For Some Children After Treatment For Milk Allergy.” This is big news, considering that milk is the most prevalent kid food allergy, researchers from John Hopkins said. The follow-up study tracked 18 children (ages 6-16) whose severe milk allergies had eased or disappeared. Their allergic reactions grew milder and milder over time. “We now have evidence from other studies that some children once successfully treated remain allergy-free even without daily exposure, while in others the allergies return once they stop regular daily exposure to milk,” says Robert Wood, M.D. “This may mean that some patients are truly cured of their allergy, while in others the immune system adapts to regular daily exposure to milk and may, in fact, need the exposure to continue to tolerate it,” he adds.
For some, with regard to food allergies and children, the problem will clear up as science improves. Long-term studies are testing whether tolerance can be built up to eradicate these food allergies. For lifelong sufferers, food scientists are creating delicious versions of these foods, minus the molecules that cause a food allergy reaction. Also, blood tests are being developed that hope to more accurately classify an allergy, rather than just an antibody. For all the latest news on kid food allergies, you can visit www.sciencedaily.com.
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