Encouraging parents to introduce peanuts to their infants early has led to a significant drop in new allergy diagnoses, researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said.
Their study -- published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics -- is the first large-scale analysis to show the real-world impact of the new feeding recommendations and a successful public health intervention.
Anaphylactic food allergies -- in which the immune system overreacts to foods like milk, egg or peanut -- affect about 4% of children and can cause immediate, severe reactions such as hives, swelling and difficulty breathing.
Peanut is among the most common causes of these reactions, which are also known as immunoglobulin E-mediated.
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