Division of Allergy and Immunology News

A Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) research team reported this week that many critically ill children who develop multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) – with or without sepsis – share a measurable immune system pattern linked to harder recovery and a higher risk of mortality.

CHOP’s Food Allergy Center now has a new screening tool, food pantry and grocery delivery program.

Peanuts represent one of the most common causes of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated, or anaphylactic, food allergies in children, yet a landmark study found that early introduction of peanut to infants may lower their risk of developing this allergy.

Researchers found that certain lipids, or fats, in obesity-causing foods also cause asthma-like lung inflammation. The findings suggest that in addition to modifying dietary choices, certain existing drugs could be repurposed to help treat this type of asthma.

Researchers found that complement factor I (CFI) deficiency, an ultra-rare genetic disorder that can cause debilitating neuroinflammation, is more than 4500 times more likely to be found in individuals of Old Order Amish ancestry than the rest of the global population.

In a landmark translational study, collaborators identified the specific milk protein that triggered a patient’s case of eosinophilic esophagitis

The findings show how more rapid results can improve practice and lead to more accurate and timely diagnoses

Results led to expanded FDA approval in January 2024.

The large study also confirmed known risk factors for COVID-19 associated with asthma in children.

The first patient with this specific autoimmunity disorder was identified at CHOP.