Peanut allergy advice to pregnant women recommended to be changed

The Food Standards Agency has recommended to ministers that current advice to avoid peanuts during pregancy, breastfeeding and early life should be changed. It turns out that there is no evidence to support current advice that, where there is a family history of allergy, mothers should avoid peanuts during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and not introduce peanuts into their child’s diet until the age of three.

Many allergists believe that this advice is in fact harmful, and that high exposure to peanuts in ealy life may reduce the risk of peanut allergy developing.

Nut Allergy Death from Anaphylactic Shock

The Northern Echo reports the tragic case of 32 year old Angus Myers who died from eating a curry that he was assured was nut free. Mr Myers collapsed and died from anaphylaxis after eating a takeaway curry. It is likely that despite assurances to the contrary, the curry contained peanut oil or almond oil. It is not clear whether an Epipen or other adrenaline auto-injector was administered.

Although deaths from nut or peanut allergy are extremely rare, this sad case demonstrates that they can and do happen. Dr Desa Lilic, a consultant immunologist at the University Hospital of North Durham, was quoted by the Northern Echo as advising people with nut allergy not to consume curries they have not made themselves.

Anti IgE Treatment May Help Allergic Asthma in Children

At a recent conference in the US results were published that the anti-IgE monoclonal antibody Omalizumab (Xolair) reduced allergic asthma exacerbations in children as young as six.

This is a new treatment not yet licenced in children, but has the potential to be extremely helpful in helping those with severe allergic asthma. There are also hopes that Omalizumab may have a role in controlling severe food allergy - particularly nut an dpeanut allergy,

Royal Society of Medicine - Allergies and Me

I attended the excellent Royal Society of Medicine event Allergies and Me yesterday.

Speakers included Dr Pam Ewan from Addenbrokes, Professor Barry Kay from Imperial, Dr Shuaib Nasser from Addenbrookes and Mandy East from the Anaphylaxis Campaign.

A few of the tit bits I picked up on include the fact that it is extremely rare for anyone to require a second dose of adrenaline following an anaphylactic reaction. Dr Nasser explained that in his clinic anaohylactic reactions happen quite often during immunotherapy treatments when patients are given injections of allergens including drugs that they are allergic to. Dr Nasser said he had never had to give a second dose of adrenaline. This came up during a heated discussion of how many epipens you ought to be prescribed. Personally we have four - two at home and two at school.

A lot of discussion about the lack of NHS provision and the continuing unmet need. Not very many answers although it was good to hear of NHS funding for a pilot centre of excellence in the North West.