title: Immunotherapy for peanut allergy.
abstract: Peanut allergy is one of the commonest food hypersensitivities causing fatal or near-fatal reactions. There is, currently, no preventive treatment and the incidence of severe allergic reactions during peanut desensitisation has limited its clinical use. Anti-immunoglobulin E therapy has been shown to be effective in preventing peanut-induced reactions but it does not result in long-term tolerance. Two important advances have recently been reported. One involves gradual oral introduction of peanut protein to desensitise, whereas the other approach uses a combination of anti-immunoglobulin E and oral peanut immunotherapy. Both approaches could offer a way to desensitise with a far greater margin of safety than has, hitherto, been reported. This article provides an overview of the literature on peanut immunotherapy and describes the experience in a small group of children in Hong Kong who were treated successfully using anti-immunoglobulin E combined with oral peanut desensitisation.
authors.affiliation: Allergy Centre, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, 2 Village Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Allergy Centre, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, 2 Village Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Allergy Centre, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, 2 Village Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Vivian W Y
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Allergy Centre, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, 2 Village Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Allergy Centre, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, 2 Village Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, 2 Village Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lo
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D010367:Arachis / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D021183:Peanut Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: Desensitization, immunologic; Immunoglobulin E; Peanut hypersensitivity