Nearly three-quarters of adults with food allergy, or parents of pediatric patients with food allergy, are not familiar with oral immunotherapy (OIT), according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Researchers who evaluated current OIT awareness, attitudes, and experiences among a nationally representative sample found that 72% of respondents did not know what OIT was prior to the survey. There were significantly greater odds of reporting any OIT awareness among respondents from households earning more than $100,000/year or with a college degree versus those with lower income (OR, 2.0) or non college-educated respondents (OR, 1.9). Among respondents familiar with OIT, 54% reported their expected treatment outcome was to obtain protection against accidental exposure versus 34% among respondents who were unfamiliar with OIT.

Author