Peanut allergy is usually lifelong, often severe, and potentially fatal. It is not uncommon. In North America and the UK, prevalence among school children is more than 1%Some emerging therapeutic strategies are also reviewed such as sublingual and oral immunotherapy, anti-IgE, and Chinese herbal medicine.
AAAAI: Gradual Exposure Reduces Kids' Peanut Allergy. MedPage Today, 03/2008.
References:
Peanut allergy: Emerging concepts and approaches for an apparent epidemic. Sicherer SH, Sampson HA. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Aug 7.
Peanut oral immunotherapy (20 peanuts) induces desensitization, however questions about long-term tolerance remain. JACI, 2011.
School measures to protect a peanut allergic student anger some of the parents - CFNews, 2011.
Amid Protest, Florida School Stands Behind Tough New Peanut Allergy Regulations http://goo.gl/joUsS - Little evidence to back this approach: http://goo.gl/59VKU
Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.
Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.
