HEALTH NOTES: Peanut patch thwarts toddlers’ allergies

A ‘peanut patch’ can save toddlers from severe allergic reactions, according to American research.

The patch on the child’s back, which exposes them to peanut protein in an attempt to desensitize their immune system, may reduce the frequency and severity of attacks in two-thirds of peanut allergy cases.

This therapy is available in the UK for children over the age of four, but the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute in Chicago has found a cure for children even younger. Dr. Melanie Makhija, a researcher for the study, described the findings as “great news.”

“Children who initially responded to a small fraction of a peanut could tolerate the equivalent of one to four peanuts,” she added.

“We found that the peanut patch was safe with a very low chance of a serious allergic reaction.”

DNA link to high blood pressure

A simple genetic test could be used to diagnose hard-to-recognize cases of high blood pressure.

In about one in 20 patients, the blood pressure is only dangerously high at certain times, so it often goes unnoticed.

Scientists at Queen Mary University and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London have identified a DNA mutation that causes the body to occasionally produce too much aldosterone – a hormone that regulates salt balance.

Excess salt leads to fluid retention, which increases blood pressure.

The researchers say taking a DNA sample can detect the condition. If found, removing the aldosterone-producing glands cures it. Professor Morris Brown, co-author of the study, said: ‘A genetic test would bypass the lengthy diagnostic process.’

In about one in 20 patients, blood pressure is dangerously high only at certain times, often going unnoticed

More than half of meningitis patients receive no follow-up care, a report found.

Every year around 200 Britons contract the deadly infection which can lead to loss of hearing, sight and limbs. But a survey of 228 patients with Meningitis Now shows that less than 50 percent of patients get a follow-up appointment with a GP or specialist.

Meanwhile, 89 percent of patients don’t get useful information about what to expect after leaving the hospital.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Tom Nutt, CEO of Meningitis Now, said: ‘Critical care for meningitis is often very good in this country, but follow-up care needs significant improvement. Meningitis patients become adrift without specialist support.’

Cancer is the leading cause of death in type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

The high blood sugar caused by the disease damages small blood vessels, including those that supply blood to the heart and brain, causing strokes and heart disease.

But a series of reports involving at least 300,000 diabetics in England, highlighted in The Lancet, shows that medical advances have vastly improved the treatment and prevention of heart disease.

Researchers at Imperial College London blame obesity in type 2 diabetics for a change, as it is one of the biggest risk factors in cancer.