Relief May Be on the Way for Kids with Peanut Allergies

New research may provide relief for young children suffering from a peanut allergy.

FOX’s Alex Hein has “Housecall for Health”:

This is Housecall for Health.

A wearable skin patch may be the answer to childhood peanut allergies, as a new study shows promise in the therapy that delivers small doses of peanut protein to the skin.

The National Institutes of Health funded the study which was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. It says nearly half of those treated with the patch were able to consume at least 10 times more peanut protein than they were able to consume prior to treatment.

Researchers found the largest improvement in children ages four to 11-years-old, but did not see as big of an effect in children 12 and older.

The therapy works by training the skins immune system to tolerate small amounts of peanuts. The patch has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people who have a food allergy is growing, but there is no clear answer as to why.

For more on this story, check FOXNewsHealth.com.

Housecall for Health, I’m Alex Hein, FOX News.

Follow Alex Hein on Twitter: @Ahlex3889