Peanut allergy is the leading cause of fatal food-related anaphylaxis, but not everyone with peanut allergy is at risk of a severe response. New work conducted at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has pin-pointed novel genes associated with the severity of peanut allergy. The researchers have also found clues to how these genes interact with other genes during allergic reactions.
The study involved 21 children ages 7 to 17 years old with peanut allergy, who were given gradually increasing doses of peanut until they displayed an allergic response. Blood tests were conducted before the food was administered, during the allergic reaction and after the reaction. Findings were confirmed by repeating the study in another 19 children.
Current tests to determine presence of peanut allergy don’t provide information on whether the sensitized person could experience mild or severe responses to peanut protein. The new information from this study will hopefully lead to better diagnoses and treatments for peanut allergy.
Further details of the research can be found in a press release on the Mount Sinai website.
Reference: Do, A.N., et al. 2019 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2019.10.040.
