Sensitivity to peanuts is common among
children with asthma, yet many children
and their parents are unaware of the
problem, a new study finds.
Dr. Robert Cohn, medical director of
Pulmonary Medicine at Dayton Children's
Hospital and his team studied 1,517
children who went to a pulmonary clinic
at Mercy Children's Hospital in Toledo,
Ohio, for respiratory problems and left
with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma.
Interestingly, among these children, about
11% knew they had a peanut allergy. Many
of the children in the study came back to
the clinic and had a blood test to screen
them for peanut allergies, and of that
group, 22% tested positive.
The study will be presented at the ATS
2015 International Conference. "Many of
the respiratory symptoms of peanut
allergy can mirror those of an asthma
attack, and vice versa. Examples of those
symptoms include shortness of breath,
wheezing and coughing," said study lead
author Robert Cohn, MD, MBA.
"I don't think children with peanut
allergies would be misdiagnosed with
asthma. It is most likely the other way
around. Children with asthma might not
be recognized as having a peanut
sensitivity," says Cohn in an email to
TIME.
The study, whose results will be shown
and the American Thoracic Society
International Conference held this year,
found that there is a connection between
the two, as many children who had asthma
also tested positive for peanut allergy.
The researchers looked for documentation
of peanut allergies and whether blood
tests had established if children have the
antibodies that indicate a potential
reaction to peanuts, known as IgE.
Peanut allergies can severely affect the
health of children with asthma. In a study
published in 2010 in the Journal of
Pediatrics, researchers found that the rate
of hospitalization of children with asthma
and peanut allergies was twice as high as
the rate among children with asthma who
did not have peanut allergies, Cohn said.
The authors explain that asthma and
allergy can compound one another.
"Coexistence of peanut allergy with
asthma could be a risk factor for increased
morbidity and mortality," they wrote in
their abstract, "Also some asthma
medications should be avoided in children
with peanut allergy."
"This study demonstrates children with
asthma might benefit from a test for
peanut sensitivity, especially when control
of wheezing and coughing is difficult to
achieve. If a physician is having this
problem, or if a parent notices it in his or
her asthmatic child, they should consider
testing, even if they believe their child is
not sensitive to peanuts," Cohn said.
children with asthma, yet many children
and their parents are unaware of the
problem, a new study finds.
Dr. Robert Cohn, medical director of
Pulmonary Medicine at Dayton Children's
Hospital and his team studied 1,517
children who went to a pulmonary clinic
at Mercy Children's Hospital in Toledo,
Ohio, for respiratory problems and left
with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma.
Interestingly, among these children, about
11% knew they had a peanut allergy. Many
of the children in the study came back to
the clinic and had a blood test to screen
them for peanut allergies, and of that
group, 22% tested positive.
The study will be presented at the ATS
2015 International Conference. "Many of
the respiratory symptoms of peanut
allergy can mirror those of an asthma
attack, and vice versa. Examples of those
symptoms include shortness of breath,
wheezing and coughing," said study lead
author Robert Cohn, MD, MBA.
"I don't think children with peanut
allergies would be misdiagnosed with
asthma. It is most likely the other way
around. Children with asthma might not
be recognized as having a peanut
sensitivity," says Cohn in an email to
TIME.
The study, whose results will be shown
and the American Thoracic Society
International Conference held this year,
found that there is a connection between
the two, as many children who had asthma
also tested positive for peanut allergy.
The researchers looked for documentation
of peanut allergies and whether blood
tests had established if children have the
antibodies that indicate a potential
reaction to peanuts, known as IgE.
Peanut allergies can severely affect the
health of children with asthma. In a study
published in 2010 in the Journal of
Pediatrics, researchers found that the rate
of hospitalization of children with asthma
and peanut allergies was twice as high as
the rate among children with asthma who
did not have peanut allergies, Cohn said.
The authors explain that asthma and
allergy can compound one another.
"Coexistence of peanut allergy with
asthma could be a risk factor for increased
morbidity and mortality," they wrote in
their abstract, "Also some asthma
medications should be avoided in children
with peanut allergy."
"This study demonstrates children with
asthma might benefit from a test for
peanut sensitivity, especially when control
of wheezing and coughing is difficult to
achieve. If a physician is having this
problem, or if a parent notices it in his or
her asthmatic child, they should consider
testing, even if they believe their child is
not sensitive to peanuts," Cohn said.
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