Posted on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 in Videos
Peanut allergies are on the rise among children. It's vital to learn and understand the risks and treatments for the most common food allergy. Dr. Hamsa Subramanian runs down some quick facts and discusses a recent study that could help some children.
Transcript
Hi, I'm Dr. Hamsa Subramanian. I'm an allergist with Signature Medical Group. Today we are going to talk briefly about peanut allergies.
Peanut allergy is the most common food allergy and the problem is it can potentially cause a very fatal allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Therefore it is advisable that peanut allergy patients have a quick access to epinephrine which is lifesaving.
Peanut allergy seems to be on the rise - especially with children. The bright side is studies have shown that 20% of these children eventually outgrow peanut allergy but that's a very small percentage when you see how many children are allergic to peanuts.
A landmark study from King's College of London was done with infants who had or who were suspected of having peanut allergy. There were about 640 infants who were enrolled in the study.
Before randomly being assigned to the study, infants had a skin test for peanut allergy. Early consumption of peanut in most of these infants was beneficial and many of these infants did not grow up to be peanut allergic children. Many of these infants were given their first peanut in the allergist's office.
Now please remember, do not do this at home. Talk to your pediatrician or make an appointment with an allergist.