An expert panel has issued clinical guidelines to aid health care providers in early introduction of peanut-containing foods to infants to prevent the development of peanut allergy. That’s the approach folks used to take, back when I was little and childhood Peanut allergies were very rare…
It’s official! The way to keep kids from growing up with potentially-deadly Peanut allergies is
to give them controlled amounts of Peanut products when they’re little.
An expert panel at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has issued a set of clinical guidelines to aid health care providers in the early introduction of peanut-containing foods to infants to prevent the development of peanut allergy.
I’ve been saying we should use desensitization therapy on Peanut and other food allergies in kids for years. But, in the past two or three decades, doctors have been saying not to give infants any Peanut products at all if they show even a slight sensitivity to Peanuts. That just let the ‘allergy’ develop to potentially deadly proportions, especially in kids who were particularly sensitive.
“Living with peanut allergy requires constant vigilance. Preventing the development of peanut allergy will improve and save lives and lower health care costs,” said NIAID Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci. “We expect that widespread implementation of these guidelines by health care providers will prevent the development of peanut allergy in many susceptible children and ultimately reduce the prevalence of peanut allergy in the United States.”
The new Clinical Guidelines address both low-sensitivity and high-sensitivity infants with recommended desensitization regimes which, NIAID says, can dramatically reduce the chance that the kids will take Peanut allergies into later life, or suffer more-serious peanut reactions as time goes on.
So… It behoves all parents who have, or think they might have, young kids with peanut sensitivities to ask their doctor about the new treatment guidelines.
~ Maggie J.