Diagnosing,
Preventing and Treating Peanut Allergies
Continues to Fuel Research and
Discussion
More than two years
into implementation of the NIAID guidelines which call on parents to introduce
peanut foods early, expert attention is focused solidly on advancing diagnostic
practices, increasing quality of life for allergy sufferers, reaching remaining pediatricians who are not yet
advocates, and reviewing potential new therapies.
Those issues were
among the most discussed over the past few weeks at both the American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP) Experience in New Orleans, and American College of Asthma,
Allergy and immunology (ACAAI) Scientific Meeting in Houston. The National Peanut Board was again
engaged in both sharing and learning.
High on the list of
questions at AAP was, “before introducing peanut foods, which infants need to
be screened?” To help pediatricians avoid unnecessary testing, NPB sponsored an
educational session titled “Diagnosing Peanut Allergy: Evidence to
Recommendation from the New Practice Parameter,” developed and presented by
Matthew Greenhawt, MD, MBA, MSc and Julie Wang, MD. Greenhawt is a member of NPB’s Food Allergy Education
Advisory Council and director of the Food Challenge and Research Unit at
Colorado Children’s Hospital. Wang is professor of pediatrics at Icahn School
of Medicine at Mt. Sinai.
The session was
accredited through the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
(ACCME) through Global Education Group and attracted more than 80 pediatricians
from across the U.S. and other countries.
Greenhawt and Wang’s talk centered on the latest thinking from the Joint
Task Force of Pediatric Parameters, which works to promote consistency in
practice. They stressed the importance
of avoiding unnecessary testing given potential consequences of delaying peanut
introducing and other economic and psychosocial impacts. NPB is already in discussion with other
organizations to replicate the session at other conferences.
Also at AAP, JJ
Levenstein, MD, FAAP, chair of the Food Allergy Education Advisory Council,
helped pediatricians overcome concerns they or parents have about the
guidelines. While NPB’s role at the
event a few years ago was primarily centered on building awareness, the focus
now is more squarely on removing lingering objections around when to introduce,
how to introduce, and how to watch for a potential reaction should one occur.
In Houston, Sherry
Coleman Collins, MS, RDN, LD, represented NPB as an attendee and served as an
active food allergy influencer. Several
key themes dominated ACAAI, according to Coleman Collins, including emerging
treatment options such as oral immunotherapy (OIT) and epicutaneous
immunotherapy (EPIT) through the skin. These options are expected to become
available as early as 2020.
Says Coleman Collins,
“It’s an incredibly dynamic time to be engaged in the food allergy space as new
treatments are emerging. We’re learning more about implementing early
introduction to reduce food allergies and researchers are uncovering even more
compelling information about the underlying contributors to the development of
food allergy.”
The good news: key
messages NPB has actively promoted for years ― introducing peanut
foods early, don’t over-test nor over-diagnose, and food allergies deserve a
balanced discussion ― are becoming part of the conversations that
health professionals are having.
Advancing food
allergy understanding and solutions continues to be NPB’s priority as it
engages stakeholders to help ensure that conversations are not just taking
place, but bearing fruit, as well.
