New test for peanut allergy

A new blood test has been developed to predict a child’s allergic reaction to peanuts.

The test has been developed by clinicians and scientists at the University Hospital South Manchester, the University of Manchester, and Phadia AB in Uppsala, Sweden.

The research led by Professor Adnan Custovic, looked into how common potentially fatal peanut allergies were in a study of almost 1,000 children.

By exposing the children to peanuts within controlled environments, it was found that there was a huge false positive rate towards peanut sensitivity, with only 1 in 50 found to have an allergy.

Professor Adnan Custovic said: “Avoiding peanuts is the best way of managing allergic / anaphylactic reactions to peanuts. Complete avoidance is difficult to achieve due to the widespread use of peanuts in prepared foods, and accidental exposures are common and may be life-threatening. The fear of possible reaction markedly reduces the quality of life amongst peanut-allergic patients and their families. However, avoiding peanuts only makes sense if a child is really allergic.”