Key TakeawaysUntil now, it was highly recommended that doctors, physicians, or allergists introduce peanuts to babies at high risk for an allergy.A new report reveals the use of a virtual home introduction option for infants is a viable alternative for families during COVID-19.With the option of virtual introduction, patient access improves significantly.
Key Takeaways
Until now, it was highly recommended that doctors, physicians, or allergists introduce peanuts to babies at high risk for an allergy.A new report reveals the use of a virtual home introduction option for infants is a viable alternative for families during COVID-19.With the option of virtual introduction, patient access improves significantly.
A new report reveals that the use of a virtual home introduction option for infants at high-risk of developing peanut allergies is a viable option for families during COVID-19.The September report was published in theJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology-In Practice.
“Virtually supported home food introduction now provides a new method to prevent the development of peanut allergy,”Girish Vitalpur, MD, pediatric allergist at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indiana, who was not involved with the report, tells Verywell. He says that “this process has been successful with patients and providers.”
Recently-published North American guidelines for the management of allergies during the COVID-19 pandemic include adjustments such as virtual visits or postponing appointments.Although it appears to be acceptable to delay treatment for some allergic conditions, the guideline notes that the possibility of a peanut allergy in a high-risk infant requires a timely assessment and active management upon diagnosis. In other words, it is not recommended to delay peanut introduction in babies at risk for an allergy.
“High-risk infants have a narrow window of time during which they can safely be introduced to peanuts and, hopefully, prevent the development of a peanut allergy,” Vitalpur says.
What This Means For You
A Safe Option For Peanut Introduction During COVID
A solution to the current challenge may be utilizing a virtual health platform. The new report outlines certain steps to allow for early introduction of peanuts for at-risk babies without requiring them to leave their home or compromising their safety:
While using this platform, families can contact their physician immediately with questions or concerns, or if the child experienced a reaction.
Boiled Peanuts May Be the Key to Curing Peanut Allergies
How And When To Introduce Peanuts To Babies
“Introducing a variety of foods, including commonly-allergenic foods like peanut products, should be part of normal infant feeding," Collins says. “Other research has shown that introducing peanuts starting around 6 months is protective, even in infants that have no known risk for developing peanut allergies.”
6 Sources
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Mack D, Hannah M, Abrams E, Wong T, Soller L, Erdle S, Jeimy S, Protudjer J, Chan E.Virtually supported home peanut introduction during COVID-19 for at-risk infants.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020 Sep;8(8):2780-2783. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2020.05.048
American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.Newly issued clinical guidelines from the niaid recommend early peanut introduction, not avoidance.
Coleman Collins S.Early introduction of peanut foods: Keep it simple. Managing Peanut Allergies.
Shaker M, Oppenheimer J, Grayson M, Stukus D, Hartong N, Hsieh E, Rider N, Dutmer C, et al.COVID-19: Pandemic contingency planning for the allergy and immunology clinic.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020 May;8(5):1477-1488.e5. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2020.03.012
Ohsaki A, Venturelli N, Buccigrosso T, Osganian S, Lee J.Maternal IgG immune complexes induce food allergen-specific tolerance in offspring.J Exp Med. 2018 Jan 2;215(1):91-113. doi:10.1084/jem.20171163
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