2023-09-11 08:19:40
by Elena Meli
Cases of anaphylactic shock can be reduced by preventing food allergies in children at risk. The prospects for “healing” with desensitization protocols
In Australia the number of cases of anaphylactic shock due to food allergies has decreased thanks to the guidelines that have given indications for prevention in children at risk: researchers from the Australian Murdoch Children’s Research Institute reported this in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, underlining that having modified the old indication that allergenic foods should not be introduced between one and three years has “flattened” the curve of cases of serious allergic reactions and contributed to reducing the number of food allergies. During the first months and years of life it is no longer required to give up the foods that most often cause allergies and therefore, for example, eggs can be given during weaning.
Risk of anaphylaxis: the symptoms
This would reduce the number of allergies and also serious reactions, i.e. anaphylactic shock which is the greatest danger if you have a food allergy. The severe reaction usually begins with itching (often on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet), a dry, hacking cough, swelling of the tongue and lips, or wheezing/shortness of breath; in full clinical manifestation there is a drop in blood pressure with dizziness, asthenia, confusion up to loss of consciousness, with possible vascular and/or cardiac complications (thrombosis, ischemia, arrhythmias) up to coma.
Timely administration of adrenaline blocks the progression of the reaction, which always requires medical intervention. Adrenaline is a life-saving drug and for this reason those suffering from serious food allergies should always carry the “pen” with them for self-administration; it must be prescribed by the allergist, who must also explain its use.
«Healing» food allergies
In addition to preventing the appearance of food allergies through the “normal” introduction of allergenic foods during weaning, it is good to know that 80 percent of children allergic to proteins in milk or eggs can recover within three years; those allergic to more “resistant” proteins tend to remain so for longer but 90-95 percent of cases resolve within childhood. Dried fruit, peanuts and fish, on the other hand, are allergens that are more difficult to tolerate spontaneously; those who are allergic usually remain so for their entire lives.
Immunotherapy
However, it is also possible to “cure” from food allergies, because in some cases one can undergo desensitization protocols: immunotherapy of food allergies “teaches” the immune system to tolerate harmless foods and can therefore be a real cure. The effects remain even years after the end of therapy: some patients can reach full tolerance, others can increase the dose they can ingest without having reactions. Immunotherapy, which in the clinic is mostly conducted orally by giving, for example, drops of milk diluted in water or gradually larger pieces of egg, is a treatment to be adapted to the individual case based on the level of tolerance: not it can be improvised and involves precise protocols lasting years.
The dose of the allergen must be increased in hospital and doing it yourself is very dangerous because you can have anaphylactic shock. There are protocols for example for those allergic to milk, eggs, wheat or peanuts, for which there are also experimental drugs currently being examined by the European Medicines Agency; However, all oral desensitization procedures must be addressed together with allergists who are experts in food allergies, to avoid the risk of serious adverse reactions.
September 11, 2023 (modified September 11, 2023 | 08:18)
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