My neighbor, a shooting buddy, has the peanut allergy. I love peanut butter so much. I feel sorry for him.

“A new drug could banish peanut allergies within weeks of being administered. In a trial, people who had been in danger of life-threatening reactions to traces of peanut could eat a whole one just a fortnight after an injection.

Scientists who developed the drug predict some patients may need only a single treatment to end the allergy altogether, while others may need a top-up jab every few months to keep it at bay…”

https://mol.im/a/7989209

My grandkid's school has asked that parents not send them to school with PB&J sandwiches as so many kids suffer with this allergy.

I don't remember this problem when I was a kid.

They use the word ‘fortnight’, so I’m skeptical.

I have to wonder what side effects my show up from this "miracle " drug either early on or in distance future.

I also don't recall the allergy problem when I was a kid. But now GMOs and all the chemicals may be the problem.

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:

My grandkid's school has asked that parents not send them to school with PB&J sandwiches as so many kids suffer with this allergy.

I don't remember this problem when I was a kid.

Nor do I.

I wonder whether the allergy is a fairly recent phenomenon, or whether it really did exist back then, but was not identified as such.

This article is from 2020. But in 2019 their stock collapsed on news the drug failed its phase 2 primary endpoint.

https://www.biopharmadive.com/...ails-phase-2/566954/

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
They use the word ‘fortnight’, so I’m skeptical.

HAHA! They've watched Game of Thrones too many times. So does this mean the airlines will bring back peanuts?? I'm sick and tired of PRETZELS!!! First world problems, I guess...

To the point as to how long this condition has been around, I don't remember EVER hearing anyone with "nut" allergies when I was growing up...brother and I have discussed that several times. I'm sure there were cases, but it just wasn't a wide-spread epidemic like it is today (it seems). I'm sure it was identified in the 60's...pretty much cause and effect would narrow it down. Eat a nut...stop breathing. Can't be pleasant.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
This article is from 2020. But in 2019 their stock collapsed on news the drug failed its phase 2 primary endpoint.

https://www.biopharmadive.com/...ails-phase-2/566954/

The stock crashed after it failed phase two of the tests for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

I think the peanut thing is a welcomed side effect.

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
My grandkid's school has asked that parents not send them to school with PB&J sandwiches as so many kids suffer with this allergy.

I don't remember this problem when I was a kid.

I'm not a medical person, but I am extremely skeptical that anyone could get a life threatening reaction just from smelling someone else's peanut butter sandwich.

If there's a medical journal article claiming such, I'd be open to being a bit less skeptical. Anecdotes, lay-press articles, blogs, hearsay, breathless warnings from lawsuit-apprehensive school administrators, etc? Not going to move the dial, I'm afraid.

Data - maybe a double blind study where (with medical staff standing by) they sneak a couple kids with peanut butter sandwiches into a lunchroom with kids that actually were proven to have severe peanut allergies, with hidden cameras rolling, and actually see what happened? That'd be dispositive.

Human nature being what it is, however, I suspect there are a lot more mental than physiological issues with wanting to control what other kids eat. i.e. "My little Johnny can't eat PBJ so nobody else should, either" or "My little Billy is so unhappy that he isn't allowed PBJ and he is out-of-control enough that he will steal the other kids' if he sees a chance" kind of deal.

I really can't imagine that a few molecules in the olfactory sensors would trigger anaphylaxis. But, again, I may be wrong here.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
I really can't imagine that a few molecules in the olfactory sensors would trigger anaphylaxis. But, again, I may be wrong here.

About 15 years ago, twice a year I worked with a guy that allergic. For example, he went to Home Depot and one of the teenage employees asked if he could help and next thing he knows he is on the ground. The teen tried to further help him on the ground and had to shoo him away. Turns out the teen had just eaten peanuts and my coworker was the first person he talked to with peanut breath.

The twice a year included a business dinner and the secretary always complained it was so hard to find a restaurant that he could dine in with his allergies.

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
My grandkid's school has asked that parents not send them to school with PB&J sandwiches as so many kids suffer with this allergy.

I don't remember this problem when I was a kid.

I would have starved as a kid if I couldn't eat PB&J's, As an adult I still like them.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

I would have starved as a kid if I couldn't eat PB&J's, As an adult I still like them.

I am normally the breakfast cook in our house.

On the rare occasions that I sleep in, my wife might grab a PB&J on multi-grain toast for her breakfast before heading to her office.

The FDA did approve a drug called Palforzia from Aimmune recently for the treatment of peanut allergies. A good friend's daughter took part in the clinical trials and has had good results. I don't think she's "cured", but she is much less sensitive.

I went to grade school during the 70’s and if any child had nut allergies no one knew about it and they must have miraculously been kept out of contact with all of the nuts that were around. There were no concerns or accommodations anywhere. It’s strange that nut allergies seem to be so common now.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
This article is from 2020. But in 2019 their stock collapsed on news the drug failed its phase 2 primary endpoint.

https://www.biopharmadive.com/...ails-phase-2/566954/

The stock crashed after it failed phase two of the tests for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

I think the peanut thing is a welcomed side effect.

It’s interesting and I’m skeptical. But only because their successful peanut study came was published in November just after the stock crash story. Plus it was a not an clinical trial but just an initial study. Nevertheless I think monoclonal antibody technology will be the treatment option in the future. My company has a competitor drug in the atopic dermatitis category and I also think there’s been talk of peanut allergy work.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
My grandkid's school has asked that parents not send them to school with PB&J sandwiches as so many kids suffer with this allergy.

I don't remember this problem when I was a kid.

I'm not a medical person, but I am extremely skeptical that anyone could get a life threatening reaction just from smelling someone else's peanut butter sandwich.

If there's a medical journal article claiming such, I'd be open to being a bit less skeptical. Anecdotes, lay-press articles, blogs, hearsay, breathless warnings from lawsuit-apprehensive school administrators, etc? Not going to move the dial, I'm afraid.

Data - maybe a double blind study where (with medical staff standing by) they sneak a couple kids with peanut butter sandwiches into a lunchroom with kids that actually were proven to have severe peanut allergies, with hidden cameras rolling, and actually see what happened? That'd be dispositive.

Human nature being what it is, however, I suspect there are a lot more mental than physiological issues with wanting to control what other kids eat. i.e. "My little Johnny can't eat PBJ so nobody else should, either" or "My little Billy is so unhappy that he isn't allowed PBJ and he is out-of-control enough that he will steal the other kids' if he sees a chance" kind of deal.

I really can't imagine that a few molecules in the olfactory sensors would trigger anaphylaxis. But, again, I may be wrong here.

Purely curious, how many children do you have still in school? I have 3 of my own, and 3 step children as well. 2 of my children are severely allergic to peanuts, along with 1 allergic to macadamia, almond, walnut & cashew in addition to peanuts.

15 years ago, I had never heard of such a thing until my now 16 year was handed a bag of Peanut Butter Crunch half way between here and Kansas City. He hadn’t had anything with peanut in it up until he was approximately 6 months old. What happened next was/is still painful to talk about.

I’ll agree with you to a point that part of the issue is purely psychological for some, but it’s a reality for all of them depending on level of severity. Frankly, the time between ingestion and loss of consciousness is measured in minutes or less in my personal experiences.

The school systems my children attend have separate areas that allow cold lunches, non-peanut of course which plays into the psychological separation from peer, but alleviates the fear of accidental touch or ingestion. As for smell, yes it also exists but I haven’t seen it purely over a delicious PB&J. BUT, roll out a bag of shelled peanuts within the same home of my youngest daughter and that’ll be when the fight starts.

Lastly, the cost of Epipens are outrageous, so I’m glad to see schools being proactive with this. At $300/ea depending on where I am relative to deductible, I’d rather not have to use them. Sadly it’s cheaper in life for a junky too OD and get free shots to save your life than it is for an innocent child who needs the epinephrine to save theirs, but whateves.

I get we are all skeptical about things, and this isn’t the data you’re looking for, so take it at face value. It is real, it is dangerous, and there are children and adults alike that take extra-extra precaution in terms of where they eat, what they eat, what everyone else is eating around them, and constantly looking over their shoulder to see who is about to touch them on the arm or other friendly gesture, who just had a delicious PB&J.... Not to mention, as a parent, worrying about your children outside the control of your own home. I truly hope someone can find a cure for this.

^^^^^
I thought President Trump had approved legislation to bust the price gouging scheme of Epipens??

I have been curious about this myself. I only recall one person (a girl) in my entire grade school times that had a peanut allergy. She didn’t make a big deal about it. However, later in life as a Cub Scout Den Leader/ Scoutmaster there seemed to be quite a few kids that claimed allergies. (I say claimed because I dunno if there was an actual medical determination).
Out of 40+ kids there were around 9 who informed us that they had allergies. (I also noted that 4 of these kids had moved from California, if you know what I mean). 5 of the 9 claimed severe gluten allergies. 1 of the 9 claimed severe allergies to milk products.

Out of the younger group of friends I know probably 40% claim severe gluten allergies. I looked up some data because it seems highly improbable that this many people could have medically-determined gluten allergies.

The below research was published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and was compiled using the electronic health records of some 2.7 million adults and children from the Boston area who received health care between 2000 and 2013. 97,482 people, 3.6 percent of the total number surveyed, had a food allergy or intolerance. That's considerably less than previous studies which estimated that 5 percent of U.S. adults and 8 percent of children were affected by the issue.

The latest research found that more women (4.2 percent) have food allergies than men (2.9 percent) while out of all ethnic groups, Asians are the most susceptible.




Across US population-

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
My grandkid's school has asked that parents not send them to school with PB&J sandwiches as so many kids suffer with this allergy.

I don't remember this problem when I was a kid.

I'm not a medical person, but I am extremely skeptical that anyone could get a life threatening reaction just from smelling someone else's peanut butter sandwich.

If there's a medical journal article claiming such, I'd be open to being a bit less skeptical. Anecdotes, lay-press articles, blogs, hearsay, breathless warnings from lawsuit-apprehensive school administrators, etc? Not going to move the dial, I'm afraid.

Data - maybe a double blind study where (with medical staff standing by) they sneak a couple kids with peanut butter sandwiches into a lunchroom with kids that actually were proven to have severe peanut allergies, with hidden cameras rolling, and actually see what happened? That'd be dispositive.

Human nature being what it is, however, I suspect there are a lot more mental than physiological issues with wanting to control what other kids eat. i.e. "My little Johnny can't eat PBJ so nobody else should, either" or "My little Billy is so unhappy that he isn't allowed PBJ and he is out-of-control enough that he will steal the other kids' if he sees a chance" kind of deal.

I really can't imagine that a few molecules in the olfactory sensors would trigger anaphylaxis. But, again, I may be wrong here.

Hopefully we can get share a little knowledge here, and class you are open to being less skeptical. I can't get the actual journal, but here is one article from a medical journal studying the issue. Detectable amounts of protein were found in the air after shelling whole peanuts.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23406937

Coming from someone who has to buy EpiPens for my car, my wife's car, the house, the school, a backpack, and a soccer backpack (every year because they expire), you never want to fear your child could die from someone else eating peanuts nearby, but it is a real issue. I worry every time we fly, every day he goes to school, every time we eat out. We have done blood tests and skin tests to confirm that his body has an anaphylactic response to peanuts, so we know it is real.

My question is: Why does this appear to be such a prevalent situation now, when in the past (1940s to 1970s) it did not? I don't remember reading or hearing about any people dying from peanut allergies when I was a kid or young adult, and peanut butter was certainly around then--I ate a lot of it.

flashguy