‘Peanut patch’ could answer toddlers’ peanut allergy: study

Parents of children with peanut allergies will go nutty for this solution.

A new skin patch has shown promising results in helping manage serious peanut allergies in toddlers.

Nut allergy is among the most common found in children in the US and one of the food allergens most often linked to anaphylaxis, a severe, whole-body allergic reaction, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Peanut allergies can be fatal and are often the cause of much anxiety for parents whose children suffer from the condition.

There are currently no valid cures for the deadly allergy, and there’s only one treatment on the market — which is available only for children 4 and up.

But a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed promising results for a potential second treatment option.

The skin-based immunotherapy was tested on toddlers who have flexible immune systems. The new Viaskin patch is coated with a small amount of peanut protein that is absorbed into the skin, slowly exposing the body to the allergen in small doses.

Researchers conducted a randomized trial with 362 children, ages 1 to 3, who were first tested to find what dosage of the peanut protein they could handle. They were then provided with the patch or a placebo on a daily basis for one year.

After the 12 months ended, the toddlers’ tolerance to peanut protein was re-evaluated.

The study concluded that of the 84.8% of the participants who completed the trial, 67% of the children who wore the patch were able to handle a higher amount compared to 34% of those who were given a placebo.

The researchers noted that some of the children may have naturally outgrown their allergies, but were still optimistic about the results showing that two-thirds of the children had become desensitized to peanuts.

Dr. Alkis Togias of the National Institutes of Health, which wasn’t involved with the study, commented that the findings “are very good news for toddlers and their families as the next step toward a future with more treatments for food allergies.”

These updates in research are a welcome development after years of avoidance being the standard approach. It also comes as the rates of food allergies continue to rise.

Peanut allergies primarily develop in the early stages of life, with 70% to 80% continuing on into adulthood. However, nut allergy can be substantially reduced if the food is introduced into an infant’s diet.

Another recently conducted study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, revealed a 77% decrease in peanut allergies when the food was consumed by 4-month-olds who had severe eczema and at 6 months for infants with mild or no eczema.

Children who delayed their peanut introduction until 12 months noticed an allergy rate drop of only 33%.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases revealed similar findings last year, noting that peanut allergy can be “prevented by introducing peanut-containing foods into the diet early in life.”