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Peanut allergy study finds babies should be retested. Here's what parents should know.
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- A new Australian study reveals that over one-third of infants initially diagnosed with a peanut allergy may not actually be allergic, as they tolerated peanuts during medically supervised oral food challenges.
- The research, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, involved infants who had recent peanut reactions and positive allergy tests but showed no adverse reactions to gradually increasing peanut doses under strict supervision.
- Experts emphasize that oral food challenges are underutilized and recommend they be routinely conducted to confirm peanut allergy diagnoses before starting treatments like oral immunotherapy.
- Parents are strongly advised not to attempt peanut challenges at home due to the risk of severe reactions, including anaphylaxis, and should consult allergists for supervised testing.
- Annual retesting of children with peanut allergies is recommended to determine if the allergy persists, as some children may outgrow it over time.
