TDNet Discover

Peanut allergies are among the most common food allergies worldwide. The allergic reaction experienced following peanut exposure can range from hives to anaphylaxis. As clinicians, food allergies can be a monumental concern for the health and longevity of patients. Currently, allergic reactions to the peanut allergen are treated with epinephrine. While not yet a treatment option, achieving desensitization in patients with peanut allergy is of popular discussion. The purpose of this full systematic review is to identify the most efficacious oral immunotherapy under study for children with peanut allergy. Three medical databases were thoroughly searched: PubMed, EBSCOhost, Cochrane. The primary search terms for article discovery included the following: “oral immunotherapy AND peanut allergy,” “oral immunotherapy AND peanut allergy AND systematic review,” and “peanut allergy AND oral immunotherapy.” Resulting articles underwent thorough review, based on abstracts and data themes, and required final approval for inclusion. A final selection of five peer-reviewed articles were utilized for evaluation and were submitted to a quality assessment tool checklist, resulting in four “good” articles and one “poor”. Final results revealed the superior performance of oral immunotherapy (OIT) over sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in the desensitization of children with peanut allergy. Conclusions of this systematic review recognize the effectiveness of OIT in children with peanut allergen but also address the limitations of current literature: limited studies, small groups of participants, short-term evaluation, and variation in methods. Recommendations for future research include the need for larger data pools, long-term efficacy evaluation, and a more standardized approach in the application of OIT. The demonstrated effectiveness by already completed trials is promising, but current literature lacks realistic implementation. Once the missing evidence is available, the ability to provide appropriate patients with oral ORAL IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR PEANUT ALLERGIES iv immunotherapy as a means for peanut allergen desensitization would be expected to improve overall quality of life impacting both day-to-day experiences and overall longevity.