(RxWiki News) A panel of experts has released new guidelines to potentially help health care providers prevent peanut allergies from developing in children.
The guidelines focus on introducing peanuts to infants' diets and aim to reduce the burden of peanut allergies.
"Living with peanut allergy requires constant vigilance. Preventing the development of peanut allergy will improve and save lives and lower health care costs," said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, in a press release. "We expect that widespread implementation of these guidelines by health care providers will prevent the development of peanut allergy in many susceptible children and ultimately reduce the prevalence of peanut allergy in the United States."
The new guidelines come from an expert panel backed by the NIAID. The change from the previous guidelines was the result of new data that suggested that peanut allergies could actually be prevented by introducing peanut-containing foods to infants early on.
It is important to note that these new guidelines are intended for health care providers, not parents. Always speak to your child's pediatrician before making any major changes to your child's diet, particularly for foods that could be dangerous. And ask about how to potentially prevent a peanut allergy in your child.
The new guidelines were published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Information on funding sources and potential conflicts of interest was not available at the time of publication.
