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Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

theguardian.com

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Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#72
post #39

My daughter has Celiac disease. It was diagnosed at age 4 when her growth chart showed she did not gain a single pound and grew ¼" from age 3-4. We did a biopsy of her small intestine and it was completely smooth. (Should be almost like velvet) Herblood levels also showed high sensitivity to gluten. We have her on a strict gluten free diet and she has since followed the growth chart perfectly. However she is sensitiv…

>From what I've read gut bacteria could be a contributor to gluten intolerance.

It wouldn't surprise me, the human microbiome (which includes bacteria) out numbers cells in the human body something like 100:1. They call it the second brain and just reading about some of the studies should be eye opening to many. For example, some mental health issues can be treated through the stomach and alternatively certain gasterointestinal issues can be treated via the brain.

I recall one of the more interesting studies about twins in (equatorial) Africa where obviously both nature/nurture are identical but 1 twin will be malnurished while the other is not, the only measurable difference coming from the bacteria in the gut, which impacts the ability for the body to absorb nutrients.

Truely sorry about you daughter and it seems you are keenly aware of the social impact of food. However, as someone who has self imposed restrictions it may be a blessing in disguise, because there is a very good chance greater than 10% of her peers will develop non alcoholic fatty liver disease during childhood, some childhood type 2 diabetes, and yet a significantly larger number will develop all kinds of health issues (including mental health problems) not even as of yet connected with food/nutrition. Admittedly, I'll sneak in a cheat meal and can eat at restaurants but most the time, just like most the food in grocery stores, I easily avoid because I view the same as poison. And while it may sound extreme, just look around at the people in the grocery or especially restaurants and honestly come to your own conclusion about the percentage of people who just look unhealthy.

Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not from the anecdote, I had many many allergies and they appear much more if I'm in a stressful or unfamiliar context.

Probably hormonal or sympathetic nervous system responses helping that along.

Presumably yes.

Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#74
48 children were enrolled in the trial. Half of them were given the treatment and half the placebo, leaving 24 children in each group. Statistical significance testing is reported in the article and seems fairly robust, but this is too small a sample size to be fully confident in the results.

Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#75
post #4

Yumm... I can't wait for the shellfish version! I would love to try shrimp again and find out what all the fuss is about with lobster.

My wife has a allergic reaction to shrimp. Interestingly she can eat most wild caught shrimp without issue but has a pretty distinct reaction to the farm raised type (oral swelling, itching, hives). I don't know enough about the difference between the two to know why this is. Maybe farmed are a different species, or it's the diet they are exposed to, or they are treated with something.

Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#76
post #32

Does anyone know the history of why allergists assumed this just wouldn't work for decades? I'm assuming they initially tried this at the dawn of the allergist specialization but gave up due to bad practices / deaths? I only ask because it seemed to have been general knowledge that this was impossible / couldn't be done up until recently. As a outsider looking it, it seems quite obvious, but that's just due to naivet…

This is especially confusing to me given the fact that immunotherapy (allergy shots) for hay fever has been used effectively since at least the 1930s[1]. I've heard that it may be due to the severity of a possible reaction to peanuts compared to that of (most cases of) hay fever, but I'm guessing that's probably not the full story. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergen_immunotherapy

That's where my uncertainty comes from. I did the allergy immunotherapy for a few years, asked the Doc if they did anything like that for food allergies, and got the no, it doesn't work answer.

Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#77
post #39

My daughter has Celiac disease. It was diagnosed at age 4 when her growth chart showed she did not gain a single pound and grew ¼" from age 3-4. We did a biopsy of her small intestine and it was completely smooth. (Should be almost like velvet) Herblood levels also showed high sensitivity to gluten. We have her on a strict gluten free diet and she has since followed the growth chart perfectly. However she is sensitiv…

Are you familiar with ImmusanT Nexvax2? In a trial to treat celiac. http://www.immusant.com/patient-resources/clinical-trials.ph...

Thanks for this! sounds very encouraging.

Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#78
The AAP also recently changed its guidelines for introducing peanuts to babies based on a study [1] showing a pretty dramatic decline in the development of the allergy with early exposure vs total avoidance.

[1]http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414850#abstract

Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#79
post #69
post #39

My daughter has Celiac disease. It was diagnosed at age 4 when her growth chart showed she did not gain a single pound and grew ¼" from age 3-4. We did a biopsy of her small intestine and it was completely smooth. (Should be almost like velvet) Herblood levels also showed high sensitivity to gluten. We have her on a strict gluten free diet and she has since followed the growth chart perfectly. However she is sensitiv…

I have Celiac. Unfortunately immunotherapy is not currently done in a way that would make much of a difference for us. Celiac is typically an autoimmune response to Gliadin protein as a result of human leukocyte activation genes HLA-DQ2.2/2.5 or HLA-DQ8. In either case, it is happening at the cellular level for every cell that comes into contact with the protein. The intestines are hard hit mostly because they spend…

Thanks for this- it sounds like I need to do some more research to completely understand whats going on, but this is very helpful. If you dont mind my asking, are your symptoms mostly GI related? Ive heard others can have symptoms that manifest in things like sinuses getting plugged up or skin rashes. Also sounds like a drug similar to Humara may be something that could provide at least some relief to the immune response.

Re: Peanut allergy cured in majority of children in immunotherapy trial

#80
post #39

My daughter has Celiac disease. It was diagnosed at age 4 when her growth chart showed she did not gain a single pound and grew ¼" from age 3-4. We did a biopsy of her small intestine and it was completely smooth. (Should be almost like velvet) Herblood levels also showed high sensitivity to gluten. We have her on a strict gluten free diet and she has since followed the growth chart perfectly. However she is sensitiv…

>From what I've read gut bacteria could be a contributor to gluten intolerance. It wouldn't surprise me, the human microbiome (which includes bacteria) out numbers cells in the human body something like 100:1. They call it the second brain and just reading about some of the studies should be eye opening to many. For example, some mental health issues can be treated through the stomach and alternatively certain gaster…

Agreed- and in the grand scheme of things celiac is a completely manageable and minor inconvenience. A lot of how I feel about it is more me projecting my sympathy/pity on her because she is always going to have to think about where/what she eats and how it can impact socializing. Even though she is young she generally has a great attitude about it, and I can even say it has benefitted me as I have become a much better cook by figuring out how to make delicious gluten free cuisine. Obviously rice based dishes are pretty easy, but when you are making fresh breads or things like fried chicken, just substituting a gluten free flour doesn't always come out very well.
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