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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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Exposure May Tame Peanut Allergy

Some children allergy free after new treatment

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(Newser) – Peanut allergy treatment may be just a few years away, now that preliminary studies have discovered that some children can develop tolerance with minute doses of peanuts under careful clinical supervision, say researchers. Peanut and tree nut allergies limit the diets of 3 million Americans, the New York Times reports. Half of the 150 food allergy deaths in the US are due to peanuts, yet there is currently no effective treatment.

Dr. Wesley Burks speaks with 4 year-old Ashlyn Chadwick and her mother about Ashlyn's peanut allergies at a Duke University clinic last week.
Dr. Wesley Burks speaks with 4 year-old Ashlyn Chadwick and her mother about Ashlyn's peanut allergies at a Duke University clinic last week.   (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
A handful of children once severely allergic to peanuts now can eat them without worry. Scientists have retrained their immune systems so they're allergy-free.
A handful of children once severely allergic to peanuts now can eat them without worry. Scientists have retrained their immune systems so they're allergy-free.   (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Margaret Sova McCabe and her son Tommie pose in her kitchen with some of the foods Tommie can eat.
Margaret Sova McCabe and her son Tommie pose in her kitchen with some of the foods Tommie can eat.   (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
A 5-year-old takes a dosage of peanut protein from a nurse at Duke University last week. She is being treated for peanut allergies.
A 5-year-old takes a dosage of peanut protein from a nurse at Duke University last week. She is being treated for peanut allergies.   (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
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3 comments
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proxieme2
Mar 16, 09 6:03 AM CDT
Which might be why you don't really see peanut allergies in, say, Thailand and sub-Saharan Africa, no? Reply
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Doctor_Zaius
Mar 16, 09 2:28 PM CDT
there they just call them "dead people" of which they have no shortage.
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proxieme2
Mar 16, 09 4:18 PM CDT
Or perhaps our immune systems, bred to thrive in filth but now impeccably coddled, get bored and start attacking random substances. Reply
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