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Majority of children with asthma unaware of peanut sensitivity
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DENVER — More than half of children with asthma included in a retrospective study and their families did not know the child also was sensitive to peanut, according to study results presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.
“Many of the respiratory symptoms of peanut allergy can mirror those of an asthma attack, and vice versa,” Robert C. Cohn, MD, MBA, medical director of pediatric pulmonary medicine at Dayton Children’s Hospital, said in a press release. “Examples of those symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing.”
Robert C. Cohn
Cohn and colleagues viewed the charts of 1,517 children with asthma who were active patients at the pulmonary clinic at Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Chart reviews were conducted to determine documented cases of peanut allergy and the presence or absence of peanut immunoglobulin E (IgE) testing. Children were considered positive if they had a documented history of peanut allergy or a specific IgE blood test greater than 0.35 ku/L.
Documented peanut allergy was determined in 10.7% of patients, while 43.8% had undergone specific IgE testing. Of the 665 patients who had a previous IgE test, 22.3% tested positive to peanut sensitivity, yet 53% of the children and their families were unaware of the sensitivity.
“This study demonstrates children with asthma might benefit from a test for peanut sensitivity, especially when control of wheezing and coughing is difficult to achieve,” Cohn said in the release. “If a physician is having this problem, or if a parent notices it in his or her asthmatic child, they should consider testing, even if they believe their child is not sensitive to peanuts.
“There should be continued investigation to learn more about the connection between asthmatic children and peanut sensitivity.” – by Ryan McDonald
Reference:
Cohn RC, et al. Abstract 61468. Presented at: American Thoracic Society International Conference; May 15-20, 2015; Denver.
Disclosure: Healio.com/Pulmonology was unable to determine relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.