Immunotherapy for egg allergy can allow patients to eat eggs safely long after treatment.

After following up to four years of treatment with oral immunotherapy by the egg (eOIT), some participants were able to incorporate the egg into their diet in any way. security for five years. This new research was presented by the first author of the study, Edwin Kim, MD, at the annual conference of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) in San Francisco.

"Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies and usually appears in early childhood. It carries a significant risk of severe allergic reactions and has a negative impact on the quality of life of allergic children, "said Kim, badistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at UNC School of Medicine and director of UNC Food Allergy Initiative. "Allergy seems to disappear with age, but it can last until the second decade of life. Any treatment that allows the introduction of eggs into the diet of an egg-allergic person provides nutritional benefits and peace of mind to the patient and family. "

The UNC School of Medicine was one of five centers to participate in this study, led by the Food Allergy Research Consortium (COFAR) and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The trial started with eOIT or placebo in 55 patients with egg allergies aged 5 to 11 years. The treatments were randomized – 40 participants received eOIT and 15 received placebo.

The treatments lasted up to four years, during which patients were tested for their sensitivity to the egg. Those who were considered insensitive – requiring a larger amount of egg to cause an allergic reaction – could eat 10 grams, or about two teaspoons, of pure egg without reaction. The desensitized patients then stopped eOIT and were subjected to a new sensitivity test. Those who did not have a reaction were considered as no sustained reaction (SU). After finishing eOIT, it was recommended to add concentrated egg (scrambled egg, dish or shell) and / or oven (eggs incorporated in a cake) to the product. Five years after the allergy treatment, patients were asked to indicate how much egg they had eaten, how they had eaten it, how often they had eaten it. Had eaten and how they felt afterwards.

At the end of the OIT, 50% of patients were clbadified with SU, 28% of patients were desensitized (without SU) and 22% non-desensitized. Of the patients clbadified as SU, 100% were able to eat baked and concentrated eggs.

The desensitized, non-desensitized and placebo groups had more variable ingestion of cooked and concentrated eggs and were more likely to exhibit ingestion-related symptoms.

"These results reinforce the effectiveness of the IOE as a safe way to desensitize children and young people with egg allergies," Kim said. "Previous research also suggests that egg consumption can actually reduce the allergy duration of a patient.That is why any amount of egg incorporated into the diet of the patient. An allergic patient is helpful. "

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University of North Carolina Health Care