Infant Peanut Introduction Simplified.

Abstract

1. Wade T.A. Watson, MD, MEd* 2. Edmond S. Chan, MD† 1. *Division of Allergy, Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 2. †Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada * Abbreviations: IgE: : immunoglobulin E LEAP: : Learning Early About Peanut Allergy 1. To reduce the risk of developing peanut allergy in infants, clinicians should be able to advise families of the current recommendations for when, where, and how to introduce peanut into the infant’s diet. 2. Clinicians should recognize infants at high risk for developing peanut allergy and should be able to either appropriately investigate and manage peanut introduction or facilitate a referral to an allergy specialist for further investigations/advice. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Define an infant at risk for developing peanut allergy. 2. Describe recent evidence to support early peanut introduction to infants. 3. Using the updated National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases–sponsored guidelines, advise parents when, where, and how to introduce peanut into their infant’s diet. 4. Identify and refer infants at high risk for developing peanut allergy to an allergy specialist for further education/advice. 5. Discuss challenges to implementation of these guidelines in clinical practice. 6. Use practical tips to make peanut introduction into an infant’s diet easier to accomplish. Approximately 2% of children in the United States are diagnosed as having a peanut allergy. (1) Anaphylaxis is a known complication of peanut ingestion in afflicted individuals. Although overall mortality due to peanut allergy is low, (2) the fear of a …