A study from the Cleveland Clinic shows that if children with food allergies receive early intervention before they turn 4 years old, their allergies may be curable.
CLEVELAND — The signs of spring are welcome, but the allergies that come with them are not.
Dr. Sandra Hong, director of allergy and immunology at the Cleveland Clinic, says now is the time to prepare for the season.
“Please think about your allergist this Valentine's Day, but I think now is the best time to start treatment,” Hong told 3News. “If I knew I was starting to get symptoms, I would start using a steroid nasal spray right away, because antihistamines take a little bit longer to work. You can start when it really starts. Sneezing.”
Tree pollen, grass, and even (thanks to a string of rainy days) mold are the biggest culprits in spring allergies. Typically, most people wait until allergy season is in full swing before starting to take allergy medication.
“If you have a history of allergies, you are at much higher risk of developing asthma alone,” Hong explained. “If you notice that every spring, you start to feel short of breath or wheezing, please see your doctor and have him/her take effective medication. This is not normal. , if you’re wheezing, someone should be evaluating you.”
These medications can help with symptoms such as hay fever, runny nose, sneezing, itchy, watery eyes, and now is a good time to start using them.
Cold and flu season isn't over yet, so it's important to note that sneezing and sniffling can be related to viruses. Allergies usually cause itchy and watery eyes, ears, and throat, as well as wheezing and long-lasting symptoms. Colds and flu can include fever, chills, sore throat, and body aches.
Experts say steroid nasal sprays should not be used for colds and flu. Hong also advises caution when using nasal decongestants.
“We allergists and doctors really don't like our patients to use nasal decongestants because if patients use these drugs for more than three to five days, their noses become addicted to those drugs. Because it could be,” she said. “I'm not addicted to nasal steroids or antihistamines, but decongestants are very addictive, so when I stop using them, my nose becomes even more congested than when I started.”
Additionally, Horne just attended the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology in Washington, D.C., where the Cleveland Clinic presented the results of a nine-year study on the possibility of curing food allergies in young children. did.
Parents of children with severe food allergies often live in fear of food allergy exposure and the nightmare of anaphylactic reactions. The Cleveland Clinic is testing immunotherapy in children under the age of 4, and research shows that allergies may be curable if children receive early intervention before the age of 4. Interventions include giving the child small amounts of the food they are allergic to to build tolerance.
“After the age of 4, patients typically live with the allergy for the rest of their lives and require treatments such as immunotherapy,” said Dr. Hong says. said. “But the problem is that they live with this disease despite the possibility of a cure, and we are getting 80 to 90 percent improvement. We are one of the only academic centers in Japan that does this, and we have been doing it for about nine years.
“Our research shows real improvement and patient recovery is amazingly good. Patients from all over the country and the tri-state area come to us for this treatment because there aren't many people doing this treatment.” I'm here.
So how can parents know if their child has a food allergy?
“Very often they contain allergenic foods such as peanuts, eggs, milk, wheat, soybeans, tree nuts, seafood and shellfish,” Hong says. “So when you introduce these foods into your diet, very often in really young children under the age of two, they start showing symptoms, and they can actually develop rashes, break out in hives, or even vomit. is.”
Hong advises people who have allergic reactions to foods or environmental substances to consult an allergist and consider getting a skin test. Treatments range from allergy shots to sublingual immunotherapy, which involves placing a small pill under the tongue for those who want to avoid injections.
Other studies at the annual meeting included findings from a study of Xolair, an allergic asthma treatment first approved in 2003.
In 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases began a study of 177 children ages 1 to 17 who were allergic to peanuts and two additional foods, including tree nuts, milk, eggs, and wheat. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and the drug is now available to anyone over the age of one. But Hong says not everyone is eligible for the drug and people should be aware of the side effects.
“Ironically, people can have allergic reactions to Xolair,” she added. “Patients need to be definitely monitored to see if they can tolerate the drug without having an allergic reaction. There are also black box warnings, including increased risk.” [of] Cerebrovascular problems such as heart attacks, TIAs such as transient ischemic attacks, blood clots, etc. But that being said, I think an allergist could weigh in on who would be a great candidate for this drug. ”
