Children can get over peanut allergies by slowly increasing their exposure, study suggests - Daily Mail

Daily doses of peanut powder may help nearly three quarters of children overcome their allergies, a study suggested today. .

Researchers tested the effects of slowly increasing peanut intake on just under 100 children afflicted by the allergy.

They were given 0.1mg of peanut protein powder to begin with — the equivalent of 0.03 per cent of an individual nut. .

Seventy-one per cent avoided suffering a reaction when given the equivalent of 16 peanuts two-and-a-half years later.

NHS England last month secured a deal with Palforzia — a branded immunotherapy pill that will be given once a month to 600 allergic children aged four to 17.

Top graph shows: The proportion of children with peanut allergies given immunotherapy (blue) — a slow increase of peanut intake — who avoided a reaction when given the equivalent of 16 peanuts after two-and-a-half years (left) and 26 weeks after treatment ended (right) compared to those not given the treatment (orange).

Graph shows: The children who avoided a reaction 26 weeks after treatment (blue) by their age and initial level of allergy compared to those who did not (red).

Graph shows: The probability of overcoming peanut allergies across ages and levels of initial allergy.

'Other than avoidance and medication to treat allergic reactions or anaphylaxis, there are no treatment options, resulting in a considerable burden on allergic children and their caregivers to avoid accidental exposure. .

'Exploring safe and effective therapy options for children with peanut allergy is crucial to improving quality of life for this group of patients, particularly as most children remain allergic for their lifetime.' .

The study looked at 146 children with peanut allergies aged one to four across the US, following them for two-and-a-half years.

It meant causing children to have allergic reactions at the start of the study in order to determine their allergy levels.  .

A total of 21 children given the treatment suffered reactions that required urgent medical treatment over the course of the study. ?

Emily Pratt, nine, became one of the first children in Europe to receive Palforzia, an immunotherapy pill that helps to reduce the severity of symptoms including anaphylaxis after a reaction to peanuts

Children with peanut allergies across the country will be the first in Europe to receive life-changing treatment

Currently, peanut allergies affect one in 50 children in the UK

He said: 'This is great news for children and young people with peanut allergies

The approval of Palforzia represents a significant step forward towards improving the care for allergy sufferers, and we will now have access to the first treatment licensed to reduce the severity of this allergy and to protect against accidental exposure to peanuts