Dear COPA Families— we wanted to share some excited news in the world of Pediatric Allergy!
COPA welcomed Pediatric Allergist Dr Haley Hostetler in March of 2023. She is triple board certified in Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics. We are so incredibly lucky to have her as a specialist in our community.
Following the launch of COPA’s Allergy clinic in September 2023, we started an amazing pilot program utilizing Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) to help kids with life-threatening anaphylactic reactions to foods. These allergies are very scary for families and can cause children to feel isolated, depressed, and limited in their life experiences.
We are working closely with Latitude Food Allergy Care to provide Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) in our Northwest Crossing clinic. Latitude was founded by an incredible pioneer and mom of a patient with severe multiple food allergies, Kimberly Yates in Redwood, CA, and they specialize in translating the science into practical applications for families. The protocols we use at COPA were created by world-renowned scientists, researchers, and clinicians based on extensive research completed by Stanford University.
What is OIT?
The goal of this therapy is to gradually increase daily exposure to the food to eliminate potentially fatal reactions with accidental ingestions.
It is personalized for every patient and allows for concurrent treatment for multiple food allergies (up to 5).
Patients are observed in clinic for their initial dosing and every increased dose, approximately every 2 weeks for 6-10 months.
After maintenance levels have been reached, patients need to stay on daily doses to continue exposure to the food allergen.
OIT Facts:
- 8 foods cause 90% of food allergies
- Up to 40% of pts w/ food allergy will have a life threatening reaction
- Prevalence of food allergies has increase by 50% from 1997-2011
- The protocol we use at COPA has a 92% success rate in achieving desensitization of a food allergy
- Xolair (omalizumab) is an injectable biologic used to treat asthma, urticaria, and food allergies and can be used in conjunction with OIT (pts on Xolair can often started on higher doses & reduce clinic visits)
- While some may have more profound benefits, this is not a “cure” and do not expect to be able to “free eat” allergens in future
- Younger patients <5 yrs (minimum age 12mo) are especially responsive to OIT but can be done at any age.
Referrals for OIT— Ask Your PCP!
Interested families will need to establish with the general COPA Allergy Clinic before being considered for OIT. If determined to be an appropriate candidate, patients will be added to a waitlist and contacted based on availability starting in Jan 2025.
*This program is not for everyone. The OIT program requires frequent office visits and a commitment to completing the program. Families will need to keep diligent online records of dosing + any reactions on the Latitude portal. Compliance is important! Skipping a dose can be recommended based on few factors but the program needs to be done as designed and participation cannot be intermittent or interrupted.