Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies which often hits young children. But a new study reports that peanut allergy is more common in American adults than it is in children. Right now, some 4.5 million US adults are living with a peanut allergy most of which developed it during their adulthood and not childhood.
Despite that every three out of four US citizens are over 17 years of age, health experts regard it as a pediatric condition. Some time ago, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new treatment plan for the onset of peanut allergy in children from the ages of four to seventeen. On the other side, there are no FDA-approved treatment plans or therapies targeted towards adult patients with peanut allergies.
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This study is the first one to gather all the details on adults having peanut allergies from 50 US states. Its results suggest that the prevalence of peanut allergy has increased and it is now much worse than before. Although it is considered a childhood condition but peanut allergy has affected millions of adults, which are waiting to get a medically approved treatment that is currently unavailable.
The only peanut allergy treatment which has been approved by FDA is Palforzia and it is used on pediatric patients, not adults. Considering the widespread of allergy cases in adult patients, it is much needed to work on additional therapies that are targeted to adults.
This study is soon to be published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Nearly 2.9% of all adult population reports having peanut allergy right nw. nearly 1.8% of them confirm getting a diagnosis from a physician about their allergies along with a history of their previous manifestations. Furthermore, every two in three American adults having allergies to peanuts also report at least one more type of food allergy, mostly shellfish or tree nuts.
These results also indicate the possibility of misdiagnosis of peanut allergy patients. according to medical experts, a clinical confirmation or any potential food allergy is necessary at any stage or point of their life. this conformation will help to lower the chances of getting unnecessary exposure to their allergen along with proper counseling to patients with extreme allergies educating them about medicines and emergency plans.
Other allergies such as egg allergy or milk allergy which show up in childhood and go worse by adolescence, peanut allergy is different. It can show up during adulthood despite its complete absence in a person’s childhood. Additionally, if an adult shows a peanut allergy, it is not necessary for him to have a history of allergies or peanut allergy. Sometimes the allergy signs show up first time during adulthood.
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The only thing which requires attention here is the absence of approved treatments for adult patients and the unavailability of awareness and guidelines on how to manage an allergic reaction. Since the peanut allergy is mostly reported in children, any adult complaining of the same signs is often misdiagnosed for another condition, believing adults can never have peanut allergies.
All these things suggest studying food allergies in detail and revise allergy management guidelines for adults with peanut allergies.
