Effectiveness of immunotherapy in allergy to egg

Desensitization to egg, responsible for the most common food allergies in children is possible, as evidenced lL'allergie the egg is food allergy that affects most young children. Usually disappears by the age of five years, it may sometimes persist throughout life in some.

The study by Wesley Burks at Duke University Medical Center in Durham is part of a series of works on the food allergen desensitization conducted in the research institution and the University of Arkansas. The aim is to prevent excessive reactions in case of accidental ingestion by inducing tolerance to foods cause.

The team led by Dr. Burks was inspired by the therapeutic approach used to desensitize people with hay fever. In this approach, called immunotherapy, patients receiving multiple injections containing small amounts of the allergen to generate a body tolerance to it.

Researchers have somewhat changed the method, giving consume increasing doses of egg powder, mixed with other foods. The seven participants were children aged 1 to 7 years, with various types of allergic reactions to egg, from vomiting, the hives through breathing difficulties.

Over time, the severity of the allergic reaction is attenuated, while tolerance eggs increased, the authors report, noting that at the end of the work, most of the children could eat two scrambled eggs without showing sign of allergy.

The researchers are continuing their work with two follow-up studies: in one, participants receive higher doses of egg to see if desensitization may increase further to eliminate any allergy, in the other, the authors want to see if the egg desensitization is accompanied by tolerance to peanuts, which are sensitive to 20% of children allergic to egg or milk.

he results of a pilot study of young Americans.