Peanut allergy may worsen asthma in kids

Among children  and teenagers with asthma, those
who also have peanut allergies  may have more or 
more-severe asthma attacks.

Asthma symptoms arise when the airways 
become inflamed; the inflammation being 
most commonly triggered by exposure to
allergens, such as pollen, mold or animal dander.
Food allergies can also spur asthma symptoms.


To evaluate the relationship between peanut allergy and asthma morbidity in school-age children, researchers followed 160 American children, aged between 5 and 8 years. Peanut allergy was assessed by specific and validated criteria.

A Poisson regression model was used to compare the frequency of systemic steroid use and of hospitalisation for asthma beyond age 3 years in children with asthma with and without peanut allergy.
 

Researchers found that among 160 children with asthma seen at their center, the 46 with peanut allergies generally had more hospitalisations for asthma exacerbations than children without the food allergy. They also had a higher rate of treatment with oral corticosteroids – anti-inflammatory drugs given for a short period to control severe asthma symptoms. Of children and teens with peanut allergy, 23 percent had ever been hospitalised for asthma after the age of 3 years. That compared with 16 percent of those without peanut allergy.
 
When it came oral steroids, only 28 percent of kids with peanut allergy had never needed treatment after age 3. That figure was 37 percent among those without the food allergy. When the researchers accounted for other factors like family history of asthma and any other allergies the children had, peanut allergy remained linked to higher risks of hospitalisations and oral steroid use.

The researchers recommend that parents of children with both asthma and peanut allergy should be particularly careful to work with their child’s doctor to keep the asthma well-controlled. That typically means minimizing kids’ exposure to their particular asthma triggers, helping them maintain a healthy weight and, often, giving them medications that prevent asthma attacks.
 

It is not clear, however, why study patients with peanut allergy tended to have more problems with asthma control. The above findings point to an association between peanut allergy and more asthma exacerbation, but do not prove that the food allergy is the cause.