Cure for egg allergies? - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Davide Hallac, 10, has to be careful about what he eats.

"Right now I am allergic to peanuts, sesame and dairy," he said.

One food he no longer has to worry about is eggs. Davide took part in an oral immunotherapy study. Doctors gave children with egg allergies tiny amounts of the food every day over a two-year period. At the end, 75 percent of the children were able to tolerate a lot more egg than when they started. And 28 percent, including Davide, were able to get rid of their egg allergy completely.

"I love eggs now," he said. "I love omelets."

"Every time he outgrows something new, it opens a new world for us," mom Carole Hallac said.

Egg is a very common food allergy. Most children outgrow it by age 5. But some can have it all their lives.

Having an egg allergy can be difficult because eggs are in so many other foods like breads and desserts.

"The first thing he had was French toast and we took a picture and it was really... he loved it. He had no reaction so it was a big celebration," Carole said.

But researchers warn parents not to try this without medical supervision.

"We need to do more to find out who is this right for? What is the right regimen? And can we move this to a regular clinical practice? We're not quite ready yet," said Dr. Scott Sicherer of Mount Sinai Medical Center, who is one of the study's authors.

Davide had to endure blood work and IVs throughout the study, but says it was worth it.

"It wasn't cool, but it really paid off at the end," he said.

And his mom hopes the research will lead to cures for her son's other allergies.

Oral immunotherapy didn't work for all the patients. About 15 percent of participants had to stop because of significant reactions.