A new study showed children with peanut allergies may be able to use skin patches to increase their tolerance to the peanut protein that causes allergies.
The study, published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology on Oct. 26, tested 74 people ages 4 to 25 who had peanut allergies. About half of participants wearing a low or high-dose patch that exposed them to a low dose of peanut protein were able to consume at least 10 times more peanut protein at the end of the study than they were at the beginning without a reaction. Only 12 percent of the placebo group were able to do so, according to WebMD.
Younger children between ages 4 and 11 had a better response to the patch than those over the age of 12, CNN reported.
The amount of peanut participants could eat without a reaction after treatment with the patches varied from one-seventh of a peanut to about half a peanut. “It’s a moderate treatment response,” study lead Dr. Stacie M. Jones said, CNN reported.
Participants wore the quarter-sized patches daily for a year for the study. The peanut proteins used did not enter the bloodstream.
Assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine Dr. Jennifer Shih said the study is promising, but it won’t mean an end to peanut allergies. “This (patch) is not so that somebody can eat a bunch of Reese’s for Halloween,” she said. Rather, users may be “protected from accidental exposure” to peanuts that can be harmful or even deadly for some, CNN reported.
Food labeling and the potential for cross-contamination makes peanut allergies one of the most dangerous for children and adults.
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