Food Allergy Treatment
Food Allergy Treatment
There is no cure for food allergies. For most children with food allergies, they must avoid the food that causes allergic reactions. But treatment options are available that may help some people manage their child’s food allergy and prevent and treat anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction.
Epinephrine
Epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. It comes in the form of easy-to-use auto-injectors or a syringe. It is only available through a prescription from your doctor. If you or your child have severe food allergies, you need to have epinephrine quickly and easily available at all times
Food Oral Immunotherapy (OIT)
Food oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a food allergy treatment that retrains your child’s immune system to respond differently to food. OIT helps the body gradually desensitize (tolerate) a food allergen. It does this by slowly raising the amount of food allergen your child can eat before it triggers an allergic reaction.
Successful treatment of OIT may provide “bite protection.” This means a lower chance of having an allergic reaction if your child accidentally eats a small amount of the food allergen. Some children may even be able to eat the food freely in their diet after reaching the final stage of OIT treatment program.
Omalizumab (Xolair®)
Xolair [ZOH-lare] is a type of treatment called a biologic. A biologic is a kind of medicine that is made with living things, such as animals, plants, or bacteria. Xolair works by blocking the action of specific molecules that trigger allergic reactions.
Xolair works by attaching itself to the IgE antibodies to help prevent an allergic reaction. It is an anti-IgE medicine. It reduces your child’s chance of having a food allergy reaction, including anaphylaxis, if your child accidentally eats one of their food allergens.
