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The cumulative prevalence of egg allergy by age 2.5 years in the U.S. is 2.6%. Although most children outgrow egg allergy, 20% to 30% (usually those with higher specific IgE levels and who cannot tolerate eggs in baked goods) have lifelong allergy. Oral immunotherapy is effective for several foods including peanut, egg, and milk, and most patients achieve desensitization, allowing them to tolerate a higher threshold of the allergen while on continuous immunotherapy. The bigger challenge is to induce long-lasting tolerance and safe consumption of the food without continuing oral immunotherapy.
In a multicenter National Institute of Health study, researchers randomized 55 children (age range, 5–11 years) to receive powdered egg-white oral immu…