Do NOT give peanuts to children to cure their allergy, study warns

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Treating childhood peanut allergy by gradually increasing tolerance may make the condition worse instead of better, a new study suggests.

'Food challenge' studies have indicated that oral immunotherapy, which involves gradually raising doses of an allergen over time, can be effective.

However, new research by McMaster University raises doubts about this approach. 

It shows that compared with avoiding peanuts, attempts to desensitize children in the 'real world' promote allergic reactions, including the serious and potentially fatal condition anaphylaxis.

Scientists pooled the results of 12 trials involving more than 1,000 young patients with an average age of nine whose progress was followed for a year.

The studies compared the effectiveness of oral immunotherapy and avoidance using different peanut products and doses.

Researchers found that peanut oral immunotherapy tripled rates of anaphylaxis, from around 7.1 percent to 22.2 percent.

Allergic reactions leading to vomiting, abdominal pain, mouth itching, hives, wheezing and asthma all increased.

The findings favor avoidance over current forms of oral immunotherapy, said the study authors writing in The Lancet medical journal.

Lead researcher Dr Derek Chu, from McMaster University in Canada, said: 'Numerous studies of varying quality have been published on oral immunotherapy, but its effectiveness and reliability remains unclear.