Food Allergy

Uncovering the mysteries of food allergies and developing cutting-edge methods to treat them is the mission of the new scientific advisory council organized by the nonprofit Food Allergy Research & Education.

An FDA advisory committee voted in support of ARS Pharmaceuticals’ neffy nasal spray for anaphylaxis in adults and children, saying available data on the epinephrine spray indicate a favorable benefit-risk assessment.

A law moving through California’s legislature would require schools to store epinephrine autoinjectors in accessible locations and broadly share where those are, enabling prompt responses when children have anaphylactic reactions.

Severe reactions during home oral immunotherapy were rare, and milk OIT, asthma and sensitization to house dust mite were the main risk factors, according to a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

When a child has an anaphylactic reaction in school, prompt administration of epinephrine can be lifesaving. Yet autoinjectors often are kept under lock and key in the nurse’s office, and school personnel lack the training to use them.

If you are a pediatrician, family practice doctor, naturopath or chiropractor, I beg you to stop ordering broad food allergy panels and food IgG tests. Please.

Allergists can work with mental health providers to incorporate proximity challenges into food allergy treatment to help patients overcome clinical anxiety, according to an article published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

More than half of caregivers did not introduce peanut and one-third did not introduce egg to their children before age 1 year, despite guidelines to do so, according to a study published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

Life-impacting diagnoses often trigger intense quests for knowledge, especially for parents and caregivers. They will leave no stone unturned as they search for answers to questions such as “Why was my child diagnosed with a food allergy?”

Healio compiled the most-read news in allergy, asthma and immunology posted in April.