For most adults with immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy, oral immunotherapy (OIT) proves effective in desensitization, according to a study published in Allergy. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients with food allergy aged 17 and older who underwent OIT treatment. The study team compared this data with that of children aged 4-11 and adolescents aged 11-17. They also analyzed young adults (N=96) who completed OIT for egg (N=5), milk (N=53), peanut (N=18), tree nuts (N=13), and sesame (N=7). The adults’ data were compared with that of 309 adolescents and 1,299 children. A greater number of adverse reactions were experienced by adults, who required injectable epinephrine, both during home treatment (22.9% vs 12.4%, P=0.007 for children, and 17.5%, P=0.23 for adolescents) and in-clinic up-dosing (49.0% vs 15.9% and 26.5% for children and adolescents, respectively; P<0.0001). Although rates of full desensitization were considerably lower compared with those of children (73.4%; P=0.013), 61.5% of adults were fully desensitized.

 

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