The immunotherapy to peanut increases allergic and anaphylactic reactions

Oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy, in which patients are exposed to gradually increasing doses of allergen, increases the risk of allergic and anaphylactic reactions despite an induced desensitization, revealed a review.1

"Our study synthesizes all the randomized clinical trials comparing oral immunotherapy with peanut without any immunotherapy," said lead author, Derek Chu, of McMaster University in Hamilton. in Canada.

"This shows that current peanut-based oral immunotherapy regimens can achieve the goal of immunologic desensitization, but that this result does not translate into a reduction in allergic reactions and increased blood pressure." anaphylaxis over time. On the contrary, the opposite occurs, with more allergic and adverse reactions with oral immunotherapy compared with avoidance or placebo. "

Allergy to peanuts is common and affects 2% of children and 1% of adults in high-income countries, …