Reaction to Study -- Can Peanut Allergy be predicted?

In my last post,  Melanie asked my reaction to a couple articles.  I will first address this article:  In Infants with Egg or Milk Allergy, Can Future Peanut Allergy Be Predicted?


Summary:  Basically the article states that infants with milk and egg allergy are more likely to have a peanut allergy.  Thus parents of milk and egg allergic infants should stay away from peanuts unless advised by a doctor.


My Reaction:  Since my daughter first broke out in hives at 6 months after a teaspoon of milk-based forumula, I have been overly cautious with every single new food she tried.  Whether blood tests are positive or not.   As an life-long food allergy sufferer, I know that there is absolutely no science behind allergic reactions.  Articles such as this may try to prove one way or the other.  I really think it depends on the authors of the study and what they want to prove.  Do I think there is a good chance that an infant allergic to dairy and egg may be allergic to peanuts?  Yes.  Is a current allergy a predictor for a future allergy? No.  Infants are growing and changing constantly.  Allergies can come and go.  Two years ago our daughter was allergic to blueberries -- not any more.  Plus many blood tests can come back false positive in infants and really aren't an accurate measure.  The best measure of an allergy is actually seeing what happens when a suspect food is eaten.


Did I avoid peanuts with our dairy-free toddler?  Yes.  Simply because I didn't want to gamble. But nearly two years ago we had a doctor tell us to try peanut butter on our daughter at home.  His theory was if she didn't have any eczema that she probably won't react.  I DID NOT follow that advice.  In fact for anything that we haven't tested her for yet, I have avoided.  She tested positive for peanut about a year ago and we have seen the reaction only in food that is manufactured on equipment shared with peanuts. 


**Note:  I am not a doctor or in the medical profession.  I am a mom to a toddler with mutiple food allergies.  I also suffer from multiple food allergies (many different from my daughter).  Please seek medical advice and attention from a doctor before doing any challenge food tests at home. **