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JACI Highlights - May 2007
Hourihane et al - The impact of government advice to pregnant mothers on peanut avoidance on the prevalence of peanut allergy in UK children at school entry
The incidence of peanut allergy in children in the UK, 1.8%, is the highest on record and has more than doubled over the last 10 years. In June 1998 the United Kingdom Government suggested that atopic pregnant and breastfeeding mothers who have allergies or a history of allergies in the immediate family should consider avoiding eating peanuts. In the May 2007 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Hourihane and colleagues report the prevalence of peanut sensitization in the first school cohort to have been conceived after the advice was issued. They draw the conclusion that there appears to be no positive or negative impact of the government advisory on the prevalence of peanut allergy in these children at school age, and it remains uncertain if peanut avoidance during pregnancy and breastfeeding has any effect on the prevalence of peanut allergy in children.
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