Adults allergic to peanuts can be desensitised by taking daily doses that can be safely tolerated, a study has found.
In the first clinical trial of its kind, two thirds of the participants were able to consume five peanuts a day without suffering a reaction. The average tolerated dose increased 100-fold over the course of the three-month trial.
One participant quoted in the study, Chris Brookes-Smith, said: “Me and my family were always anxious that even a trace of peanut could be life-threatening. All of my life I had associated the taste and smell of peanuts with fear and death.
“I started with a small amount of peanut flour with yoghurt and by the end of the trial I could eat four peanuts in one sitting. Now, I have four peanuts every day with my breakfast to maintain my immunity. Before, a tiny mistake could have life-threatening impacts but now I don’t have the fear that I might collapse and die from eating a takeaway.”
Another man with a life-threatening peanut allergy who took part in the Grown Up Peanut Immunotherapy (GUPI) trial, says he is now living a near-normal life.
allergy sufferer
Richard Lassiter’s allergy is so severe that he has been admitted to hospital on multiple occasions.
But now the 44-year-old eats four peanuts each morning, which he said is like “taking his medicine”.
Experts said that previous “desensitisation” studies are focused on children, so adults with peanut allergies are not offered this type of treatment.
But the new study, published in the journal Allergy, indicates that this could be a potential treatment for adults.
The oral immunotherapy works by introducing micro amounts of peanuts and gradually increasing the dosage to build immunity.
Researchers from King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust stressed that this type of treatment should only be initiated under very close supervision.
In the study, 18 patients were given small amounts of peanut flour to eat at home, starting with the equivalent of 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent of a whole peanut.
Their dosage increased gradually and once they could tolerate 50-100mg of peanut protein they switched to eating whole peanuts, peanut butter or peanut products.
By the end of the study, which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, two thirds (67 per cent) were able to eat the equivalent of five peanuts without reacting.
Chief investigator Stephen Till, professor of allergy at King’s College London and consultant allergist at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “The problem is that once I see (adult) patients in my clinic, there’s been nothing that we’ve been able to do to them – we can’t offer them desensitisation because the data is all from young children – in medicine you can’t give treatment to children or to adults based on a clinical trial that’s been performed in the other group.”
He added: “We were really pleased because we got the evidence that we hoped we would get – we saw results that were broadly in line with with what been obtained from studies in young children.
“Our phase two study suggests that this treatment is is potentially effective in adults.”
But he said larger studies were needed to confirm findings.
Mr Lassiter, an executive coach from Beckenham in Greater London, was diagnosed with a peanut allergy as a child.
He said that he “managed” his condition but always felt nervous eating out.
One episode occurred when he was on holiday with his wife “1,000 miles from anywhere” when he was given food with peanuts in.
Mr Lassiter took his auto-injector pen, and his inhaler to ease his breathing, and was taken to hospital by ambulance.
He had to stay in a high dependency unit overnight, where he needed adrenaline and oxygen.
He said of the study: “It’s been life-changing for me – it’s increased my confidence immeasurably.
“I feel much calmer, much happier and really excited about the ability to do all of these things in the future.”
Commenting on the study, public health minister Ashley Dalton said: “This ground-breaking research offers hope to thousands living with peanut allergies.
“For too long, people have navigated daily life in fear of accidental exposure that could be life-threatening.”
