Egg oral immunotherapy is performed by an allergy specialist and involves the deliberate administration of slowly increasing amounts of egg over one to two years to an egg-allergic person to desensitize them.[1] A 2018 Cochrane review found that egg oral immunotherapy was effective at building tolerance, with 82% of people able to tolerate a partial serving and 45% tolerating a full serving by the end of the treatment, compared to 10% of controls. However, 75% of people undergoing oral immunotherapy experienced allergy-related side effects, and 8.4% experienced anaphylaxis. This emphasizes the importance of oral immunotherapy only being done under the direct guidance and supervision of an allergy specialist.[2]
Note that immunotherapy is generally not recommended for children with mild or moderate reactions, as the majority of them will “outgrow” their egg allergy by age 16 and require no intervention afterward.
References
- ^Leech SC, Ewan PW, Skypala IJ, Brathwaite N, Erlewyn-Lajeunesse M, Heath S, Ball H, James P, Murphy K, Clark ATBSACI 2021 guideline for the management of egg allergy.Clin Exp Allergy.(2021-Oct)
- ^Romantsik O, Tosca MA, Zappettini S, Calevo MGOral and sublingual immunotherapy for egg allergy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2018-Apr-20)