Diagnosis of Peanut Allergy in Preschool Children: The Impact of Skin Testing With a Novel Composition of Peanuts

Abstract

Peanut allergy is an increasing concern in younger children. Available bedside diagnostic tools, i.e., prick tests with commercial extracts or peanut-containing foods have only limited predictive values. In a cohort of preschoolers with both a history of allergic reactions and sensitization to peanut proteins, we aimed to characterize the impact of skin tests with a novel composition of peanuts LPP-MH. Almost one quarter (27/110) of preschool children, with a history of allergic reactions to peanuts and positive standard IgE-mediated tests for peanut allergy, can tolerate the reintroduction of peanut proteins into their diet after resolving their allergy and, thus, can avoid adverse health outcomes associated with the false diagnosis. In the younger age group, a quarter of peanut allergic children, display a relatively high threshold, potentially enabling an easier and safer oral immunotherapy protocol in this window of opportunity in childhood. The use of the novel diagnostic skin test, LPP-MH, significantly improves the predictive value of outpatient evaluation for the outcomes of peanut challenge as well as the expected threshold at which the PA child will react, thus, making for a better informed decision of how, when, and where to challenge.