title: Recent advances in the diagnosis and therapy of peanut allergy.
abstract: Peanut allergy is a life-threatening, IgE-mediated allergic disease. In developed countries, the prevalence rate of peanut allergy in school-aged children is reported to be in excess of 1% and continues to rise, representing a major public health concern. Peanut allergy is diagnosed on the basis of a relevant clinical history combined with results of skin-prick testing and/or peanut-specific IgE levels. A double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenge is the gold standard for diagnosis. Currently, there is no approved treatment or disease-modifying therapy for peanut allergy. This review discusses recent advances in molecular diagnostic techniques for peanut allergy and highlights advances in peanut allergy therapeutics, discussing allergen-specific and allergen-nonspecific treatments that are currently in Phase I/II clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine and Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC, CB 7280, 3300 Thurston Building, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7280, USA. szsheikh@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: Saira Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: A Wesley
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Burks
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D021183:Peanut Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E