(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Researchers at Lurie Children’s Hospital are getting better insight as to which kids with food allergies will have severe reactions.
A new study points to a genetic marker. It found that a majority of children with peanut allergies who have an alpha-tryptase enzyme released from a certain gene are more likely to have anaphylaxis or other severe reactions.
Lurie Children’s researcher Dr. Abigail Lang says they need to study more, but this could become a regular part of risk assessment.
The research could give allergic kids a good sense of what to expect, even if their reactions aren’t severe yet.
“Your genes don’t change over time,” Lang said. “If you do this testing, it’s not something you have to repeat continuously.”
The findings were published last month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.