Asthma & Allergies | By Meredith Melnick | @meredithcm | March 24, 2011 | +

Research Roundup: Key Findings on Kids’ Asthma and Allergies

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As rates of asthma and food allergies continue to rise, researchers are seeking to better understand, diagnose and treat the sometimes life-threatening conditions. Earlier this week, doctors, researchers and academics in the field gathered at the annual American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) conference in San Francisco to present some of the latest research. Here are some of the most interesting data they shared.

Related Topics: Asthma & Allergies, Medicine

Early Findings on Asthma and Allergies

As rates of asthma and food allergies continue to rise, researchers are seeking to better understand, diagnose and treat the sometimes life-threatening conditions. Earlier this week, doctors, researchers and academics in the field gathered at the annual American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) conference in San ... Francisco to present some of the latest research. Here are some of the most interesting data they shared. MORE

Could Xolair Help Kids Kick Milk Allergies?

In a small study of 11 children aged 7 to 17 with severe milk allergies, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Stanford University used the prescription allergy drug omalizumab (sold as Xolair) to speed patients' tolerance to milk. The medication was used in tandem with desensitization therapy, in which patients are ... exposed to small but progressively larger amounts of the allergy-causing substance.

Children were first given injections of Xolair for nine weeks. Then, for the next two to three months, they continued the drug while also undergoing desensitization, or oral immunotherapy, increasing their exposure to milk until they reached 2 oz. of milk a day. For the next two months, the kids continued drinking 2 oz. of milk daily. Nine of the 11 children successfully completed the study.

By the end of the study, the nine children were able to drink a full 8-oz. glass of milk. In fact, they were able to consume up to 12 oz. of dairy products a day with little or no difficulty.

"When you try to go on a diet that is completely free of milk, it is very difficult because many foods have a little bit of milk protein in them," study co-author Dr. Kari C. Nadeau, an allergist and assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford University, told HealthDay. "From a practical standpoint, this treatment allowed these patients to increase all types of milk products in their diets: They were able to eat yogurt, cheese, bread, a muffin. One patient in our study said, 'I can finally eat goldfish crackers.'"

Nadeau's co-author, Dr. Dale Umetsu at Children's Hospital Boston, agreed: "It's life changing. Now they can eat pizza and ice cream with their friends. It's a very important change to their lifestyle," he told WebMD.

Umetsu noted that the study participants had severe allergies. On average, their allergies scored about 90 on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the most severe. These early findings suggest that Xolair, which works by blocking the immune protein IgE that triggers allergic reactions, may help kids tolerate desensitization therapy better, but further research is needed. For now, the drug isn't approved for children under 12. MORE

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Research Roundup: Key Findings on Kids’ Asthma and Allergies

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