[ad_1]
Peanut allergy can occur very early in children and can follow us later into adulthood. Pediatrician Dr Suzana Radulović has been part of the team of pediatric allergists in London dealing with this problem for 14 years.
In various parts of the world, there is an increasing frequency of this allergy in children. How to fight it? Is avoiding peanuts the best way to prevent allergies, or can a different approach be taken to defend against this problem?
Looking at data on the growth of allergies, doctors and scientists at “Kings College” in London conducted extensive research that lasted five years. The results of this research, which included 640 babies, were published in 2015 and significantly changed previous beliefs about the best way to prevent peanut allergy, reports RTS.
The three-member team of physicians also included pediatrician Dr Suzana Radulović, who, after studying and completing her specialization in Belgrade, continued to work in London, where she has been part of the pediatric allergist team at Evelina London Children’s Hospital for fourteen years. This hospital consists of hospital and academic research.
Explaining the reasons she was chosen to conduct research on peanut allergy in younger children, Dr. Radulović says that peanut allergy is a pretty big problem in Western countries:
“The incidence of peanut allergy has more than doubled in the fifteen years prior to the start of our study. Furthermore, the incidence of this type of allergy is also increasing in Africa and Asia. Peanuts are one of the most common causes of severe and severe allergies, a reaction that professionally is called anaphylaxis ”, says our interlocutor.
Dr. Radulović explains that in the period before his research project, the official medical advice for parents was to avoid feeding peanuts to children at an early age: “This is especially recommended for children who were considered to have a high risk of developing peanut allergy. “
Apart from the data on the frequency of this allergy, what conditioned you to configure the research in this way? Was your study based on any previous work?
“Several years earlier, part of our team conducted a study that simultaneously investigated the incidence of peanut allergy in children in Israel, where peanuts are given as one of the first solid foods, and the incidence of the same allergy in children of Jewish origin. living in the UK (and whose peanuts were not included in the diet in early life according to the then official advice on allergy prevention). The results of this first study were published in 2008. This study showed that the incidence of peanut allergy was ten times higher among a group of children in the UK than among children in Israel, regardless of similar genetic backgrounds, living conditions and predisposition to other common allergies. “
What was the goal of your second study in 2015 and what is its key importance?
“Our goal was to investigate two opposing strategies to prevent the development of peanut allergy: one is the introduction of peanuts into the baby’s diet and regular consumption of this legume until the age of five. Another strategy is to exclude peanuts completely. of diet from birth to age five. Our study was the first comprehensive randomized controlled trial to show that it is best to start eating peanuts early and changed past beliefs that avoiding peanuts is the best prevention against allergies. Our research has shown that children who consume peanuts regularly and who continue to eat peanuts up to the age of five reduce the risk of developing peanut allergies by 80 percent compared to the risk of children who do not eat peanuts. ”
Who made up the group of children who participated in your research, how many were there, and how did you do the research?
“Our study included 640 babies aged four to eleven months, with significant eczema and / or egg allergy (two factors considered high risk for developing peanut allergy). Half of the children were randomly placed in a group began to eat peanuts regularly (three times a week) from the start of the study until age 5. The other half of the children continued to follow official medical advice at that time and avoided peanuts until they were five years old. of butter or a special snack (similar to our fig) that was softened for babies with lukewarm water. The children were monitored regularly and their skin tests and blood tests were repeated at regular intervals. “
How did you manage to keep the children and parents to the end in this rather demanding investigation for five years?
“Our team is especially proud of the high retention of children in the study, which is very rare in studies of this length. I believe there is no specific recipe for success of this type. Research that lasts for many years requires total dedication. , not only from the team members, but also from the children and their parents who decided to contribute to the project. There is a high degree of altruism among the people we often consider “ordinary.” A high degree of organization, flexible working hours , professionalism and the attitude that, regardless of the situation, “showing chubby” is something without which projects of this type cannot be successful. We all had the same goal, and we did everything in our power to reach the goal, although things were not always easy. “
What changes have your study findings led to? Have the official protocols for the treatment and prevention of peanut allergy changed?
“The study completely changed the approach to child nutrition in much of the Western world with regard to peanut allergy prevention. Official advice in both the United States and Australia changed shortly after the results were published. The practice and advice given by allergists in many other countries of the world are also The majority of doctors and diabetologists now apply the advice to introduce peanuts into the diet as one of the first solid foods.
Is there a difference to date in the frequency of peanut allergies?
It takes a long time for the general attitude and attitude towards diet regarding allergies to change and it is still too early to draw conclusions about the long-term impact on the incidence of peanut allergies.
Kurir.rs/K.Đ/RTS
delivery courier
Author: delivery courier
[ad_2]
