Well - Fall 2012 - (Page 10)

“They have to deal with and accept the disease, but it doesn’t have to change their life for the worse.” One of Dr. Burks’ research studies for egg allergies helped rede ne 11-year-old Justin Price’s life. Justin’s egg allergy, which manifested as respiratory problems, was so severe it landed him in the hospital several times before his third birthday and led to surgery for chronic sinusitis at age 5. Living with the allergy was a life-limiting proposition for Justin, as his only option was vigilant avoidance of anything containing egg. Egg allergy is the second most common food allergy in children, and most a ected kids outgrow the allergy by age 7. When Justin did not, his parents believed he would face a lifetime of reading food labels and limited food selections. Even worse, they worried an accidental exposure might one day take his life. But all that changed this summer. On July 18, 2012, Justin completed a four-year immunotherapy trial, successfully passing his nal food challenge at Dr. Burks’ research lab at UNC. Justin’s egg allergy no longer exists. “To celebrate his tolerance, we went to Krispy Kreme,” says Connie Wiggins-Price, Justin’s mom. “He had six doughnuts for dinner before deciding that was enough. Now he’s tried everything, and he’s eating egg on a daily basis.” were done by a family in a home or in a doctor’s o ce,” says Dr. Burks. “More studies are needed to better understand the safety aspects before this treatment is widely available.” Dr. Burks says the success with treating egg allergy patients can translate to other food allergies, such as peanut allergy, a challenge they are already pursuing in studies at N.C. Children’s Hospital. “The opportunity to come to UNC was incredible,” says Dr. Burks. “It was a unique place to be able to have administrative leadership responsibilities for the breadth of the care of children in the surroundings of a great medical school and university.” Dr. Burks says the recent rankings of N.C. Children’s Hospital in U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals, is an important recognition of the care of children at the hospital now. “We would like our care of children to be the best children’s hospital in the Southeastern United States,” says Dr. Burks. “By combining outstanding clinical care, superior educational opportunities and leading-edge research, we can be a leader in the health care of children.” Helping Kids Reclaim Their Childhood A. Wesley Burks, MD Dr. Burks joined UNC as chair of the Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of N.C. Children’s Hospital in 2011. Dr. Burks is an internationally renowned expert in pediatric allergy and is known as an advocate for improving care for allergy and immunology patients. As a well-known leader in the development of immunotherapy for food allergy, Dr. Burks has always maintained an active translational food allergy research program. He has been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1989 and has published more than 250 scholarly book chapters and articles. Most recently, Dr. Burks co-authored a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that found a promising potential new treatment for egg allergy in children. In addition to his recent election as president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, he has served as director on the American Board of Allergy and Immunology and received the Bret Ratner Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics for his contributions to the ﬁeld. Prior to coming to UNC Hospitals, Dr. Burks served as the Kiser-Arena Professor of Pediatrics, chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, and program director of the allergy and immunology training program at Duke University Medical Center. At UNC, he continues to advance teaching and learning opportunities for trainees and faculty members, and is active in mentoring programs for students and others aspiring to join the health professions. Dr. Burks’ treatment consists of slow exposure, or desensitization, to egg protein. He says the resolution of a food allergy using his immunotherapy can take anywhere from three to ve years. Patients initially begin taking powdered egg protein, the equivalent of 1/100 of an egg, mixed in a soft food, such as pudding or applesauce. The rst dose, and each subsequent dose increase, is administered at the clinic to monitor for reactions. Then patients continue taking the prescribed amount of protein powder at home daily. Over time, the amount is increased until a child can tolerate 4,000 milligrams of egg protein, which is roughly the equivalent of two eggs. In the blinded clinical trial, Justin was initially in the research study’s placebo group, but in the protocol, Justin was moved into active treatment four years ago. Now Connie no longer fears her son being o ered a piece of birthday cake at a party or well-meaning relatives who insist that a bit of mayonnaise in a salad won’t hurt her son. “The challenge was making sure he was safe all the time,” says Connie. “My husband and I didn’t realize how much we thought about that until he was cured. I honestly didn’t know until we stopped having this as a central focus how much it weighed on us every day. Now, anytime we go to a restaurant, I start to tell Justin what allergy-free foods he can choose from, and he stops me and says, ‘I can order anything!’” While optimistic about the study results for patients like Justin, Dr. Burks cautioned the treatment is not yet ready for widespread adoption. “There are too many side e ects that we don’t really understand, and it could be dangerous if it 10 Fall 2012 Well

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Well - Fall 2012

Well - Fall 2012
Contents
UNC Health Care News
Community
In the Right Place
A World Without Food Allergies
Healing and Hope Through Science
Nutrition
Calendar

Well - Fall 2012