Maternal ingestion of peanut during pregnancy was associated with peanut sensitization in children

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Peanut allergy is typically severe, lifelong, and prevalent.

The study authors evaluated 503 infants 3 to 15 months of age (mean, 9.4 months) with likely milk or egg allergy but no previous diagnosis of peanut allergy. A peanut IgE level equal/or greater than 5 kU(A)/L was considered likely indicative of peanut allergy. 27.8% infants had peanut IgE levels equal/or greater than 5 kU(A)/L.

Primary factors associated with peanut IgE equal/or greater than 5 kU(A)/L included:

- frequent peanut consumption during pregnancy (odds ratio, 2.9)
- IgE levels to milk and egg
- male sex
- nonwhite race

Among 71 infants never breast-fed, frequent consumption of peanut during pregnancy was strongly associated with peanut IgE ≥5 kU(A)/L (odds ratio, 4.99).

In this cohort of infants with likely milk or egg allergy, maternal ingestion of peanut during pregnancy was strongly associated with a high level of peanut sensitization.

References:
Maternal consumption of peanut during pregnancy is associated with peanut sensitization in atopic infants. Sicherer SH, Wood RA, Stablein D, Lindblad R, Burks AW, Liu AH, Jones SM, Fleischer DM, Leung DY, Sampson HA. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010 Oct 27