What is the goal of food oral immunotherapy?
The goal is to allow the person to eat the food(s) they are allergic to without any allergic reaction. The individual no longer has to avoid the food they are allergic to, and he/she can eat a serving of the food without experiencing anaphylaxis.
Imagine going to a restaurant and ordering anything from the menu without having to tell anyone that you are allergic to a certain food, and eating the meal without experiencing an allergic reaction. That is possible with Dr. Dauby's food oral immunotherapy treatment protocol.
Which food allergies can be treated?
Dr. Dauby treats peanut, almond, cashew, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio, walnut, cow milk, wheat, egg, sesame seed, flax seed, chick pea, and soybean allergies. Other foods are possible based on the person's need. Dr. Dauby can treat multiple foods at once, saving significant time.
How effective is OIT?
The literature shows that food oral desensitization is effective for the majority of patients. Most studies have a 80-90% success rate, meaning that the majority of patients can consume the allergenic food without reactions. This remains as long as the individual continues to eat a small daily dose of the particular food. Similar to treating cholesterol or high blood pressure with a daily pill, the food allergy is treated by taking a daily dose of food. What is not yet known is when the daily dose of the food can be stopped. Studies are presently ongoing to try to answer this question.
What is the age range for OIT?
Dr. Dauby offers OIT to adults of any age, and children as young as 15-18 months of age.
How long does it take?
The process takes 6-12 months to ensure the safety of each patient. OIT is not a "one size fits all" since everyone is different and the time line will vary from person to person. Dr. Dauby will individualize the course of treatment based on a number of factors to include age, the food sensitivities, test results, and past reactions to minimize any risks and maximize the chances of success.
How long has Doctor Dauby been doing OIT?
Dr. Dauby has been doing food oral immunotherapy since 2017 - years before anyone, including UPMC Children's, started offering this treatment. He is the most experienced board certified allergist in Western PA in the evaluation and treatment of food allergies.
Why are other allergists not doing OIT?
There are numerous peer reviewed journal articles published in leading allergy journals around the world showing success with this therapy. The first trial published in the United States dates back to 2009. Of the 29 subjects who completed the trial at the time, 27 were able to ingest 16 peanuts after treatment. Since that first study, thousands of patients have been treated with food oral immunotherapy and hundreds of studies have been published showing success with oral immunotherapy.
Food oral immunotherapy requires a lot of knowledge, time, and attention to detail and most allergist do not have the training or expertise required to offer the treatment. Dr. Dauby has been doing food oral immunotherapy since 2017 and has extensive training and experience, resulting in a success rate over 90%.
How does Dr. Dauby's protocol differ from Palforzia?
Palforzia is an FDA approved treatment for peanut allergies only. Palforzia capsules contain "medical grade" peanut flour which is then sprinkled onto food for the dose to be consumed. The capsules come in several different specified doses. It is one size fits all type of treatment. About 50% of patients are able to tolerate approximately 3 peanuts after one year of treatment.
Dr. Dauby uses the actual food which patients will encounter in real life - what is found at the grocery store and restaurants. Dr. Dauby's protocol starts with a very dilute liquid dilution of peanut flour then moves on to peanut and peanut butter. The advantage of using the liquid dilution is that the doses can be tailored specifically for the individual. The end result is a significant lower rate of adverse reactions and dramatic higher rate of success compared to Palforzia. Over 95% of patients are able to tolerate 3 peanuts without adverse symptoms in about 6-7 months. Over 85% of patients successfully reach 24 peanuts in about one year.
Where can I find out more information on OIT?
The best way is to schedule an appointment with Dr. Dauby. During the appointment, Dr. Dauby will take a comprehensive history, review prior tests and obtain additional testing if needed in order to identify current food allergies vs those which could be re-introduced into the diet safely. He will explain in detail food oral immunotherapy as well as other possible options to include food oral challenges. Please bring any prior tests results to the appointment if possible (or have your physician fax us the test results).
You may also want to visit OIT101.org (TM) prior to the appointment to get acquainted with OIT.
