Australia is considered the ‘allergy capital of the world’, with more than five million of us living with allergies.
A large proportion of those are children, with peanut allergies one of the most common, affecting 3.1 per cent of babies under 12 months old.
In a world first, babies with a peanut allergy will be offered oral immunotherapy as part of a new standardised model of care.
Thanks to a partnership between the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE) and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), the nation-wide peanut oral immunotherapy program will be introduced across 10 paediatric hospitals.
Professor Kirsten Perrett, director of the NACE, paediatric allergist, and leader of MCRI’s Population Allergy Group, says that, unlike other clinical trials, the treatment would be offered as a new standardised model of care, making it the first program offered in Australian hospitals outside of a trial setting.
“Ultimately, we want to change the trajectory of allergic disease in Australia so that more children can go to school without the risk of a life-threatening peanut reaction,” Kirsten explains.
Traditionally, children with peanut allergies are advised to avoid them entirely, which can make it hard in school and social settings.
When a child has a peanut allergy, the body’s immune system, which usually fights infections, overreacts to proteins in peanuts. Exposure to the legume can cause hives, belly pain and tingling around the mouth or, in more serious cases, anaphylaxis.
The program aims to build up tolerance through a controlled regimen of peanut powder taken daily over two years, hopefully leading to remission.
Available with a referral to children under 12 months old, it will be initially rolled out in 10 hospitals across five states: New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland. Each hospital’s capacity to accommodate the program will depend on demand and resources.
Small doses of the allergen are given every day at home until a food allergy test is done to see whether the treatment has worked.
“One of the biggest concerns for families living with peanut allergy is the fear of accidental exposure. This program has the potential to remove that burden,” says Dr Lara Ford, allergist and program lead at Westmead Children’s Hospital.
With research finding over two-thirds of children with a peanut allergy remain allergic by age 10, this could be a game changer for kids and their parents.
