Why are some food allergies in children often outgrown but not peanut?
This is a good question and one that is not easily answered. It is not well understood why children and adults for that matter often outgrow sensitivity to foods such as milk, wheat, and soy but retain reactivity to peanuts and tree nuts. There are now reports that as many as 20% of children may “outgrow” peanut allergy. Most of these children had very mild reactions at a very early age and then successfully avoided peanuts for a prolonged period of time. Children should periodically be reevaluated to determine if they have lost their sensitivity. If appropriate, an oral challenge could be performed in the office under physician supervision. Patients who have “outgrown” their peanut allergy must be monitored carefully for the redevelopment of sensitivity and must continue to carry their injectable epinephrine. There are reports in the literature of patients who have “outgrown” their peanut allergy becoming sensitive to peanut once again.
