A clinical trial is set for seven years on children to identify the cause of allergy due to consuming peanuts.
This study will be starting next year on 480 children who will be made to have peanut extracts.Peanut allergy, one of the most dreadful allergies has increased its incidence two fold in the last decade. Presently, 70 school going kids are affected among whom 5-8% belong to the age 3.
Experts advise parents to avoid peanuts in the child’s diet might be one of the causative factors. As in Eastern countries where groundnuts are the staple food and it is fed to children often the incidence rates are lower than the western countries. Though there are few researchers who contradict to this saying one of the reason of kids being susceptible is early exposure.
Researchers at King’s College London are going to conduct a study costing $5 million to acquire an effective approach. Babies of age 4-11 months who have developed egg allergy or eczema would be targeted for the study. A study claims that peanut allergy would develop in 25% of them. Prof. Gideon Lack said, "One child in almost every classroom has to carry an adrenaline injection with them in case they suffer anaphylactic shock because of peanut allergy. Just to sit back and accept the situation would be unethical."
The children would be assessed by a team of nurses and dieticians and the result of this study would help to identify the root cause of peanut allergy.
Source-Medindia
KOM
