New findings on outgrowing peanut allergy

At the 1999 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting held in Chicago, Nov 11-17th, among the New Findings in Food Allergy Research presentation, Dr Sami Bahna reported on:
"Outgrowing" Peanut Allergy Recent studies indicate that peanut allergies, which afflict approximately 1% of the US population, can be "outgrown" by adolescence. Indeed, findings presented by J.M. Spergel, MD, PhD, suggest that resolution is more likely to occur in patients with smaller skin test reactions and clinical reactions limited to the epidermis. Spergel's group subjected 38 patients with a clinical history of reaction prior to evaluation and with a positive skin test to peanut challenge. Twenty-one patients persisted with positive challenge (PC) and 18 patients had a negative challenge (NC) despite positive skin tests. One patient became tolerant by challenge while another patient's reaction went from positive to negative. Both PC and NC groups had equivalent medical backgrounds although none of the patients with anaphylaxis became tolerant within the follow-up period of 2 to 6 years. The most significant difference occurred, however, in the size of the skin test -- the PC group experienced larger wheal and flare (P < .005).This study confirms the findings of a few other recent reports demonstrating that peanut sensitization can be outgrown. Favorable factors include onset during childhood, low degree of reactivity, and clinical manifestations other than systemic anaphylaxis. (posted Nov 18th, 1999)