Topical peanut oil and intake of soy protein may lead to development of peanut allergy in children

Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, August, 2003

Data collected from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children was used to investigate the antecedents of peanut allergy in children. The study enrolled pregnant women in order to determine the features of the environment that that might interact with genetic factors to cause health, behavioral, or developmental problems. Questionnaires were continued after birth and throughout infancy. Children who were found to have had a reaction to peanuts subsequently underwent skin testing and double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge.

Forty nine children were identified with a clear history of peanut allergy, and 36 underwent further testing. Samples of previously frozen cord blood from 23 of the 49 children with peanut allergy failed to reveal any detectable specific IgE to peanuts. Of the 36 children, 29 had positive reactions to skin testing. Analysis of prospectively collected data found that there was no statistically significant association between peanut allergy and any socioeconomic factor. Early soy consumption, rash over joints and skin creases (eczema), use of creams containing topical peanut oil during first six months of life, and a family history of atopy and peanut allergy were found to be associated with an increased incidence of childhood peanut allergy. The authors hypothesize that exposure to low doses of peanut antigens through inflamed skin causes allergic sensitization.

Lack G et al. Factors Associated with the Development of Peanut Allergy in Childhood. N Engl J Med 2003; 348(11):977-985.