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- Research in the
News
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- Research-Related Press Releases
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July
8,
2004
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- Study Reports Seafood
Allergies Often Begin Later
in Life
- Women and minorities
report highest
prevalence
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Jan.,
2004
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FAAN Launches Seafood
Allergy Registry -- Aim to
learn more about allergies to
fish and shellfish
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Dec.,
2003
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- Study Confirms What
Doctors and Parents Have
Suspected:
- Peanut Allergies in
Children Have Doubled in
Last Five Years
- Food Allergy &
Anaphylaxis Network Seeks
Higher Standards of
Care
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Jul.,
2003
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Charcoal is No Substitute
for Epinephrine in the
Treatment of Severe Allergic
Reactions to Peanuts and other
Foods, FAAN Warns
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Jul.,
2003
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New Peanut Allergy Research
Gives Hope that a Cure is
Closer for Millions of
Sufferers Living in Fear of
Deadly Reactions, Says
FAAN
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Jul.,
2003
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Press Statement: Cure is
Closer for Peanut Allergy
Patients
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Jun.,
2003
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Pediatricians receive
comprehensive document for
Diagnosing and Treating Food
Allergies in Children
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April,
2003
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New Peanut Allergy Drug
Shows Great Promise Corporate
Squabble Halts Clinical
Trials
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March
2002
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- Peanut-Allergy Therapy
Trials Show Promise: Drug's
Approval Could Protect
Millions Against
Life-Threatening Allergic
Reactions
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- Questions and
Answers About the Use of Activated
Charcoal to Treat Peanut Allergy
Reactions
- A recently released Journal of
Allergy & Clinical Immunology study
touts the use of activated charcoal as
a treatment option in slowing or
preventing life-threatening reactions
to peanut proteins. Following are
questions and answers about the use of
charcoal for treating peanut allergy
reactions.
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- What is activated
charcoal?
- "Activated charcoal" is a substance
sometimes given in emergency rooms, by
mouth or through a stomach tube, to
victims of poisonings. This treatment
is used because activated charcoal
absorbs ("complexes") substances in the
gut, thereby reducing their ability to
enter the body.
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- How is activated charcoal
administered?
- Activated charcoal in powder form
is mixed with water to create a
"slurry." It is also available in
flavored liquid and as capsules.
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- Commonly Used Brand Names of
Activated Charcoal According to the
National Institute of Health's
(NIH's) Web site:
- Actidose-Aqua
- Actidose with Sorbitol
- CharcoAid
- CharcoAid G
- CharcoAid 2000
- Insta-Char in an Aqueous Base
- Insta-Char in an Aqueous Base with
Cherry Flavor
- Insta-Char Pediatric in an Aqueous
Base with Cherry Flavor
- Insta-Char Pediatric with Cherry
Flavor in a Sorbitol Base
- Insta-Char with Cherry Flavor in a
Sorbitol Base
- Liqui-Char
- Liqui-Char with Sorbitol
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- Is activated charcoal available
over the counter?
- Yes, activated charcoal can be
purchased over the counter in health
food stores, drug stores, and stores
that sell dietary supplements.
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- How can activated charcoal be
used to help treat an allergic
reaction?
- Theoretically, if peanut protein is
in the gut and activated charcoal is
given, the activated charcoal would
absorb the peanut protein that is in
the gut (that has not yet entered the
body), thereby reducing, or possibly
eliminating, absorption of the peanut
protein from the gut into the
body.
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- What did the study
show?
- The study investigators mixed
peanut protein (alone or mixed in food)
and activated charcoal in a test tube
and then took the mixture and evaluated
how well the charcoal was able to make
the peanut protein "unavailable" to
detection by various measurement
techniques. It was found that at a high
enough dose of activated charcoal, the
peanut protein was effectively absorbed
and made essentially unavailable for
detection by various methods.
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- What did the researchers
conclude?
- Although the study did not involve
giving activated charcoal to persons
with peanut allergy, the researchers
suggest that activated charcoal may be
a useful additional treatment to slow
or prevent further absorption of peanut
protein from the gut after accidental
ingestion by persons with peanut
allergy.
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- What are the general
recommendations for persons with peanut
allergy (and other food
allergies)?
- The primary current treatment
recommendations include strict
avoidance of the food and prompt
medical treatment if the food is
accidentally ingested. The primary
medication prescribed for a severe
reaction is injected epinephrine (or
adrenaline) available for self-injection using a simple device that is
carried by persons with serious food
allergy. This medication reduces
swelling, improves breathing, and
supports circulation, allowing a
food-allergic person to get to an
emergency room for more care.
Additional medication includes
antihistamines taken usually by mouth.
For any serious reactions, individuals
must immediately also seek medical care
at an emergency room because additional
doses and types of medications may be
needed.
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- Can activated charcoal be used
in replace of epinephrine?
- No. Epinephrine works to reverse
the symptoms of a severe allergic
reaction caused by proteins that have
entered the bloodstream, whereas
activated charcoal binds the allergenic
protein in the stomach that have not
already entered the body and caused the
reaction. Therefore, activated charcoal
should never be used in place of
epinephrine for a reaction NOR should
administration of epinephrine, when
needed, be delayed because of potential
administration of activated
charcoal.
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- Will activated charcoal
interfere with other
medications?
- Yes. Activated charcoal can
interfere with oral medications, such
as antihistamine taken by mouth,
because it binds the medications in the
stomach. Therefore, activated charcoal
may block the effect of the
antihistamine. However, antihistamines
can also be given by injection in an
emergency room, if necessary.
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- Will activated charcoal render
epinephrine ineffective?
- No. Epinephrine is given by a
needle (injection), whereas activated
charcoal is given by mouth and will not
affect the lifesaving properties of
epinephrine.
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- Are there any side affects of
taking activated charcoal?
- There are no specific adverse
effects of taking activated charcoal,
although the liquid formulations may
taste bad to some persons. However,
aspiration of activated charcoal (for
example, vomiting it and then choking
and inhaling the vomit) could be
dangerous (lung damage). Additionally,
activated charcoal will turn stools
black.
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- Does activated charcoal act the
same as ipecac? Can ipecac be used to
treat an allergic reaction?
- Activated charcoal binds the
protein. Ipecac induces vomiting.
Ipecac is generally not recommended for
an allergic reaction because repetitive
vomiting could result in complications
on top of other allergic symptoms
(e.g., choking on vomit during troubled
breathing).
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- Can activated charcoal be taken
in advance of meals to reduce the need
to be careful about ingestion of peanut
(or other food allergens)?
- This strategy would DEFINITELY NOT
be recommended, because the peanut
protein could still potentially enter
the bloodstream before having a chance
to be in contact with the
charcoal.
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- Should we alter the treatment of
peanut allergy (or other food allergy)
on the basis of the result of the
study?
- The answer to this question may
evolve as more studies become
available. As indicated above, the
authors of this study suggest that
activated charcoal may be a useful
additional therapy for peanut allergy
(the particular food studied) and do
not comment on its use for other
foods (although one may expect a
similar phenomenon). It must be
appreciated that the use of activated
charcoal for persons with food allergic
reactions would be based on
conclusions drawn, at this time, only
from a study performed in a test
tube.
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- The authors compare the use of
activated charcoal for peanut allergy
to treatment for poisonings (when
charcoal is typically given in an
emergency room or by paramedics before
getting to the hospital, sometimes
given by a tube into the stomach). They
indicate that it would be more useful
to administer it soon after ingestion
rather than after a delay. Therefore,
some physicians may advocate the use
activated charcoal at this time.
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- Should activated charcoal be a
part of an allergy treatment
plan?
- Right now, there are no studies
concerning the role of activated
charcoal in an actual food-allergic
reaction. If a reaction is already
occurring, the activated charcoal would
not stop the effect of the allergen
already absorbed, but theoretically
it could prevent/reduce further protein
from entering the bloodstream.
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- However, the charcoal could also
eliminate the effect of oral
antihistamines that are commonly given
in allergic reactions outside of the
hospital. Also, the impact of the
charcoal would vary depending on the
amount of food eaten at the meal and
the amount of peanut protein in that
food.
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- Finally, particularly for young
children, because of taste and amount
needed to be consumed, administration
of the activated charcoal may be
difficult or impossible. Therefore,
specific general recommendations are
currently lacking.
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- Follow your current treatment plans
and consider speaking to your/your
child's doctor regarding whether or not
activated charcoal might be an
effective addition to your treatment
plan. Your doctor can best discuss the
types of charcoal formulations
available, address the circumstances under which it
might be given, and deternine how much to
administer. Do not change your/your
child's treatment plan without guidance
from your doctor.
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