By studying how antibody levels change over the years, it is possible to predict whether a child is likely to see their peanut allergy disappear as they grow up.
- Two-thirds of children with peanut allergies remain allergic by the age of 10. For the remaining third who outgrow the allergy naturally, this occurs between 4 and 6 years of age.
- Researchers have discovered that by examining changes in the levels of two antibodies over several years, it is possible to predict whether a child will outgrow their allergy as they grow up.
- These biomarkers could improve the care of children allergic to peanuts.
Researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI; Australia) have shown that a third of children suffering from a peanut allergy manage to outgrow it naturally as they grow up. Furthermore, they discovered that analyzing changes in antibody levels over the years could predict which children were likely to have their allergy resolved without desensitization.
Their work was the subject of an article in the May 2024 issue of the journal Allergy.
Peanut allergy: Antibody levels can predict its disappearance
The study included 156 Melbourne infants with confirmed peanut allergy. They were followed at ages four, six and 10 with questionnaires, skin exams, blood tests and dietary tests. A third of these little participants were no longer allergic by the age of 10. Generally, their hypersensitivity reactions had disappeared between 4 and 6 years of age.
Using the data collected, the team noticed that changes in the levels of two antibodies that respond to peanut allergens (called sIgG 4 and sIgE), were detected in children whose allergy had naturally disappeared. “Antibody levels measured at diagnosis did not predict who would overcome their peanut allergy, but changes in these levels over time revealed who was most likely to do so.”specify the scientists in the communicated.
Thus, young patients who had decreasing levels in their blood of these two antibodies were more likely to no longer suffer from peanut allergies as they grew up. On the other hand, children who had a high or increasing rate had an increased risk of still being allergic at 10 years old.
“Prior to this research, little was known about the possibility of using antibodies as biomarkers of the natural resolution of peanut allergy during the elementary school years,” explains MCRI researcher Kayla Parker. found that longitudinal changes were more useful in predicting children on the path to resolution of peanut allergy than relying on a single snapshot at a single time point.”
Food allergy: a discovery that could improve care
For Australian researchers, checking the levels of antibodies in the blood over several years would improve the care of young patients suffering from this potentially very dangerous food allergy.
“Children with peanut allergies whose antibody markers are decreasing may benefit from additional visits with their allergist to determine the right time for dietary monitoring to confirm if their peanut allergy is resolved,” says Kayla Parker. “Those with high or increasing levels of these biomarkers are less likely to spontaneously overcome their peanut allergy and could be prioritized for possible early treatment options if available.”
