Oral immunotherapy treats kids' food allergies and reduces parents' anxiety

Managing a child's food allergy can be an enormous source of stress. Constant vigilance, fear of accidental exposures, and navigating complicated meal plans can deeply impact a family's quality of life. But new research from BC Children's Hospital Research Institute highlights how one treatment option can alleviate certain psychosocial impacts of food allergies for parents and caregivers.

This episode focuses on the experiences of parents whose young children receive oral immunotherapy (OIT) — a well-established treatment that helps kids gradually build tolerance to allergenic foods. Dr. Lianne Soller shares findings showing that OIT not only improves clinical outcomes for kids with food allergies, but also reduces anxiety and increases quality of life for their parents and caregivers.

The conversation explores the broader emotional and practical challenges of parenting a child with food allergies — and how OIT is changing what long-term management can look like for families.

Learn more about topics discussed in this episode:

Preschool oral immunotherapy is associated with improved parental food allergy-specific anxiety and quality of life: A real-world observational study, Clinical & Experimental Allergy

Food Allergy Immunotherapy (FAIT) Program

All episodes written and produced by the Research Communications team at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute.

Theme music: "Life Is Beautiful" by Anastasia Kir