Kerzl -
Life-threatening anaphylaxis to kiwi fruit: Protective sublingual allergen
immunotherapy effect persists even after discontinuation
In the February 2007 issue of
the
Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology,
Mempel and colleagues studied the effect of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)
on a case of anaphylactic kiwi allergy. SLIT has been shown to reduce
clinical symptoms in a variety of IgE-mediated respiratory allergic
diseases, but its therapeutic value in anaphylactic food allergy is often
questioned due to lack of standardized protocols and the great variability
in allergen uptake by "custom-made" protocols. The authors found that when
given SLIT for kiwi allergy, the patient experienced no symptoms. Even when
SLIT was interrupted for a brief period due to other medical conditions,
when it was resumed, the effects were still the same. The authors' findings
show that the use of SLIT protocols for patients with food allergies should
be encouraged, especially when the foods are difficult to avoid.
JACI Highlights
- February 2007
Arshad et al -
Prevention of allergic disease during childhood by allergen avoidance - The
Isle of Wight prevention study
In the February 2007 issue of
the
Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology,
Harshard and colleagues evaluated the effect of reduction in food and
house-dust mite allergen exposure in infancy in preventing asthma and
allergy. Early life allergen exposure may increase the risk of childhood
allergy, but the protective effect of reduction in allergen exposure remains
uncertain. The authors found that allergic diseases can be reduced in the
first 8 years of life by combined food and house-dust mite allergen
avoidance in infancy. Therefore, strict food and house-dust mite allergen
avoidance should be considered for prevention of allergy in high-risk
infants
JACI Highlights
- February 2007
Buchanan et al - Egg
oral immunotherapy in non-anaphylactic egg-allergic children
There is no current active
treatment for food allergy. Traditional injection immunotherapy has been
proven unsafe for treating food allergy. In the January 2007 issue of the
Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology,
Buchanan and colleagues study the safety and immunologic effects of egg oral
immunotherapy. They found that egg oral immunotherapy can be safely used for
egg-allergic patients without a history of anaphylaxis to egg. Egg oral
immunotherapy does not heighten sensitivity to egg and may protect from
reaction on accidental ingestion. Use of food oral immunotherapy to protect
patients from reaction to foods on accidental ingestion would represent a
significant improvement in the treatment of food allergy.
JACI Highlights
- January 2007
Taylor et al –
Probiotic supplementation for the first 6 months of life fails to reduce the
risk of atopic dermatitis and increases the risk of allergen sensitization
in high risk children: a randomized controlled trial
In the
January 2007 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology,
Taylor and colleagues determine if early probiotic supplementation (a
microorganism introduced into the body containing potentially beneficial
bacteria) prevents allergic disease in high risk infants. They found that
early probiotic supplementation did not reduce the risk of atopic dermatitis
in high risk infants and was associated with increased allergen
sensitization in infants receiving supplements. These findings challenge the
role of probiotics in allergy prevention.
JACI Highlights
- November 2006
Flinterman et al -
Clinical reactivity to hazelnut in children: association with sensitization
to birch pollen or nuts?
In the
November 2006 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology,
Flinterman and colleagues investigated the cause of allergy to hazelnuts
among children. In areas where birch trees are common, hazelnut allergy is
often the result of primary sensitization to birch pollen. However, allergy
to hazelnut in early childhood has been related to allergies to other tree
nuts and peanut that can all cause serious reactions. The authors found that
the route of allergies to hazelnut in children, in an area where birch trees
are common, can be non-pollen related.
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