Reducing the severity of anaphylaxis reaction to peanut in children by desensitization with epicutaneous immunotherapy
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
Translated by An Duc Thien Le |
Posted on June 7th, 2023
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Managing peanut allergy in the pediatric population can be challenging because the affected children are less capable in avoiding the allergen. In the worst case scenario, the child can undergo a lethal anaphylaxis reaction. Thus, a study has been performed to assess whether exposure to a small dose of peanut allergen can desensitize an allergic child and alleviate the disease burden.
The phase 3 clinical trial included 362 children between the age of 1 and 3 years old who were diagnosed with peanut allergy with a food challenge. These child participants were also affected with other allergic conditions such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis. The children were randomly assigned to be treated with an epicutaneous patch containing either 250 μg of peanut protein, or placebo. The patches were administered every 4 weeks, each patch was placed for 3 hours. After 12 months, the researchers found that the epicutaneous immunotherapy with peanut protein helped increase the tolerance of peanut in 67% of the participants; whereas, the same improvement was observed in 33.4% of the placebo group. Despite the fact that the allergen dose was generally low, 250 μg of peanut protein is equivalent to 1/1000 of a peanut , 7.8% of those treated with the patch containing peanut protein experienced anaphylaxis; which was 4.4% more than the control group. As a result, a significantly higher proportion of children desensitized with peanut protein have to use corticosteroids, epinephrine, and eventually discontinued from the trial.
The phase 3 clinical trial included 362 children between the age of 1 and 3 years old who were diagnosed with peanut allergy with a food challenge. These child participants were also affected with other allergic conditions such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis. The children were randomly assigned to be treated with an epicutaneous patch containing either 250 μg of peanut protein, or placebo. The patches were administered every 4 weeks, each patch was placed for 3 hours. After 12 months, the researchers found that the epicutaneous immunotherapy with peanut protein helped increase the tolerance of peanut in 67% of the participants; whereas, the same improvement was observed in 33.4% of the placebo group. Despite the fact that the allergen dose was generally low, 250 μg of peanut protein is equivalent to 1/1000 of a peanut , 7.8% of those treated with the patch containing peanut protein experienced anaphylaxis; which was 4.4% more than the control group. As a result, a significantly higher proportion of children desensitized with peanut protein have to use corticosteroids, epinephrine, and eventually discontinued from the trial.