text_1: A New Therapy May Cure Kids of Peanut Allergy
text_2: The story focuses on a long-term follow-up study of patients with peanut allergies who had received immunotherapy and probiotics to minimize allergic response to peanuts. A story in a nationwide publication that suggests there may be a “cure” for peanut allergies — such as the story we are reviewing here — would likely raise hopes for families and individuals living with peanut allergies. But those hopes would be unfounded. The research this story was based on involved fewer than 50 patients, only 24 of whom received the relevant treatment — something the story doesn’t tell readers. And the treatment was not universally successful at eliminating peanut allergy even for those 24 patients. What’s more, there is no discussion in the story of costs or risks associated with treatment. The word “cure” should never be used hastily, something we just pointed out about a different TIME story last week. The NIH states that “peanut allergy is a growing health problem for which no treatment or cure exists. People living with peanut allergy, and their caregivers, must be vigilant about the foods they eat and the environments they enter to avoid allergic reactions, which can be severe and even life-threatening.” A 2010 study stated that 1.4 percent of people in the U.S. report having an allergy to peanuts or tree nuts. In short, peanut allergy poses very real risks for those with peanut allergies, and can pose a particular challenge for parents of children with peanut allergies — who have to maintain constant vigilance regarding the possibility of peanut contamination in places where their kids eat, play or attend school. As a result, new research findings related to addressing peanut allergies garner a lot of attention. This story may leave readers with more questions than answers.