Peanut allergy: risk factors, immune mechanisms, and best practices for oral immunotherapy success
Introduction: Peanut oral immunotherapy (pOIT) is the only FDA-approved treatment for food allergy and its adoption amongst allergist immunologists and their patients is growing. pOIT is the subject of numerous clinical trials, however, the focus is often on treatment efficacy, safety, and tolerability, rather than identifying patients most likely to benefit from pOIT. Here, we […]
Evaluation of the epidemiology of peanut allergy in the United Kingdom.
Aims: To describe the epidemiology of peanut allergy (PA) in the UK over the last three decades. Methods: PA patients were identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink between 1987 and 2015. Incidence and prevalence of PA were compared between 2000 and 2015. Prevalence and relative risk (RR) of atopic comorbidities, anaphylaxis, adrenaline prescriptions versus […]
The importance of early peanut ingestion in the prevention of peanut allergy.
Peanut allergy appears to have increased in prevalence, is often severe and is typically life-long. Therefore, reducing its incidence through a primary prevention strategy is a priority. Guidelines on peanut introduction have evolved with time and given evidence of peanut allergy risk reduction with early infant ingestion exposure, the current US advice promotes early introduction for infants, particularly targeting those […]
Epicutaneous peanut patch device for the treatment of peanut allergy.
Food allergy prevalence has increased in recent decades, which has mobilized efforts to develop treatment alternatives. Epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) is a novel method that involves transdermal administration of peanut allergen with the objective to induce tolerance. Recent clinical trials have shown its efficacy at increasing the eliciting dose in children with a favorable safety profile. Areas covered: […]
Role of dendritic cells in peanut allergy.
The prevalence of peanut allergy (PA) has increased, affecting approximately 1.1% of children in Western countries. PA causes life-threatening anaphylaxis and frequently persists for life. There are no standardized curative therapies for PA, and avoidance of peanuts remains the main therapeutic option. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of PA is essential to identify new […]