Scientists have discovered a way to moderate nut allergies
A breakthrough dual approach in the treatment of food allergies is giving local sufferers fresh hope, writes Jeanette Wang
It usually begins with a ringing or buzzing in Xenia Chan's ear. Then her throat closes, her lips swell, and her breathing becomes increasingly difficult. Sometimes, she blacks out.
"Being allergic to peanuts sucks," says the 22-year-old student, who was diagnosed with a severe form of the allergy at the age of three. "Because of it, I spent too much of my childhood in the emergency room."
In kindergarten, she was told to sit in another room to have her lunch. Growing up, she wasn't allowed to go to her friends' homes because her parents were so afraid she might die. Some children didn't take her allergy seriously, and would intentionally breathe on her after they ate peanut butter.
I was afraid of going into Thai and Vietnamese restaurants for the longest time
As an adult, her condition has become less severe - the smell of peanuts no longer sets the allergy off, only ingestion - but she still carries two EpiPens with her. The medical device delivers a measured dose of epinephrine to treat an anaphylactic reaction.
"I've had to be very careful about what I eat," she says. "I was afraid of going into Thai and Vietnamese restaurants for the longest time, and even Chinese food is difficult because it often contains peanut oil."
When told by the Post about a new experimental treatment costing about HK$300,000 that could help her to weather an accidental ingestion of peanuts - and even eat up to 20 peanuts at a go - Chan says she would "do it in a heartbeat".
"I am tired of wondering if the next thing I eat might kill me," she says. "At the same time, though, doctors are optimistic that I might be growing out of my peanut allergy. So I might hold off for another year or so."