BOFFINS NEAR 'CURE' FOR PEANUT ALLERGY; Controlled dose builds tolerance.Byline: By Jane Kirby SCIENTISTS are one step closer to curing nut allergies following the success of a clinical trial. Experts gave small daily doses of peanut flour to children with severe peanut allergy peanut allergy Immunology A common cause of anaphylactic reactions which, unlike some allergies, is rarely outgrown; PA is the most common cause of food allergy in the US, and a leading cause of food-induced anaphylaxis and death after accidental exposure to help them build tolerance to the nuts. By the end of the trial, the children could eat up to 12 nuts a day without suffering a life-threatening reaction in the form of anaphylaxis anaphylaxis (ăn'əfəlăk`sĭs), hypersensitive state that may develop after introduction of a foreign protein or other antigen into the body tissues. . Although the study was small, the team from Addenbrooke's Hospital Addenbrooke's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Cambridge, England, with strong links to the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1766 on Trumpington Street with £4,500 from the will of Dr John Addenbrooke, a fellow of St Catharine's College. in Cambridge said it represents the world's first successful peanut desensitisation n. 1. same as desensitization. Noun 1. desensitisation - the process of reducing sensitivity; "the patient was desensitized to the allergen" desensitization decrease, decrement - a process of becoming smaller or shorter programme. Consultant Andrew Clark Sir Andrew Clark, 1st Baronet (October 28, 1826 - November 6, 1893), Scottish physician and pathologist, was born at Aberdeen. His father, who also was a physician, died when he was only a few years old. , who led the research, said further studies were planned to look at other types of nuts, including hazelnuts and Brazil nuts. Other foods that seem to be fuelling an increase in food allergies, such as kiwi fruit, would also form part of future trials, he said. Clark said his team were "definitely" one step closer to finding a cure for food allergies, which he said were on the rise. The study is ongoing and now 20 children aged seven to 17 have been recruited in total, with tolerance among some children reaching 12 peanuts a day. All of the original children are keeping up their tolerance by eating five peanuts a day as a "maintenance" dose. Clark said: "If they were to stop, there is some evidence that tolerance would be lost and they may have a reaction." He added that the children would be followed for the next three or four years to monitor their tolerance levels and future studies would assess whether the dose could be given as a daily pill. He said: "Every time people with a peanut allergy eat something, they're frightened that it might kill them. "Our motivation was to find a treatment that would change that and give them the confidence to eat what they like. "All of these children say it has improved their quality of life and they've lost that fear of having an acute reaction if they accidentally eat a peanut. Clark stressed that families should not try to replicate the study at home. The trial was sponsored by the Evelyn Trust, a charity supporting medical research. CAPTION(S): DANGER: Peanuts |
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