Probiotic and Peanut Oral Immunotherapy

Peanut allergy is one of the dominant allergic diseases experienced by children and, while some children may grow out of a milk, wheat or egg allergy, peanuts allergies tend to be lifelong burdens for most sufferers. Symptoms associated with peanut exposure in those who are allergic vary from gastrointestinal to systemic, with anaphylactic reactions posing the greatest danger.

Oral immunotherapy (OIT) has exhibited the most promise as a treatment for this life-threatening condition, increasing the likelihood of successful peanut introduction 19-fold. OIT is the feeding of small amounts of the allergen to allergic patients, and could be a way of interrupting the progression of the allergic disease and induce tolerance. Concomitant use of probiotics, which have shown immune modulating effects, are being considered for superior outcomes. However, long-term benefit of OIT is uncertain and adverse events are common...

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First published in 2018 on fxmedicine.com.au