Posts Tagged ‘allergy’

Physicians in the UK are reporting a noticeable increase in the number of people developing allergies to fruits and vegetables. Dr Pamela Ewan, an allergist in Cambridge, said the rise in cases appears to be outstripping even peanut allergies. Symptoms include itching and swelling in the mouth and throat, and breathing difficulties. There is also a rise in what is called “oral allergy syndrome“, a condition whereby people who are allergic to pollen become allergic to fruits. It is unclear why this increase is occurring, but it is likely that the condition is being diagnosed more now that physicians are aware that allergies to fruits and vegetables are more common than they think. Do you know anyone with a fruit or vegetable allergy?

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Researchers from Cambridge University have successfully treated a small group of children with peanut allergy through a desensitization technique. The children were given daily doses of peanut flour with the dose increasing by a small amount twice a week. By the end they were able to eat 10 whole peanuts without having an allergic reaction. This research is important as there is currently no treatment for peanut allergy. Those with peanut allergy should not try to do this without medical supervision as there is a real risk that a person will react and need emergency treatment. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America estimates that peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related death.

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Milk allergy is the most common food allergy in children. And according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention food allergies in children have risen 18 percent in the last decade, with 3 million children in the United States having at least one food allergy. Having an allergy to milk can be difficult for children since milk products are extremely prevalent in the U.S. But scientists at Johns Hopkins and Duke universities are working on a solution. Their recent research suggest that daily exposure to milk powder can enhance the body’s tolerance to milk proteins. This technique, called oral immunotherapy, “gradually retrains the immune system to completely disregard or to better tolerate the allergens in milk that previously caused allergic reactions,” study senior investigator Dr. Robert Wood, director of Allergy and Immunology at Hopkins Children’s, said in a hospital news release. “Albeit preliminary and requiring further study, these results suggest that oral immunotherapy may be the closest thing yet to a true treatment for food allergy.”

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