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A new study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting states that more than half the number of children who are allergic to eggs can consume baked hen's eggs.

There's good news for children who usually need to stay away from pies and other sweets that have egg in them, owing to the allergies they generate. A new study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting states that 56 percent of children who are allergic to eggs can consume baked hen's eggs when baked at 350 degrees in breads and cakes.  

"More than half of egg allergic children can tolerate hen's eggs when they are baked at 350 degrees in products such as cakes and breads," said allergist Rushani Saltzman, M.D., lead study author and ACAAI member. "Dietary introduction of baked egg by an allergist can broaden a child's diet, improve quality of life and likely accelerate the development of an egg tolerance."

It was also found that 55 percent of egg allergic children who consumed baked hen's egg daily do away with the allergy completely after a while.

"Food tolerance was observed in one in four children, with 55 percent outgrowing their egg allergy by age seven," said Dr. Gupta. "Developing an egg tolerance is the most common for children, followed by milk. A small proportion outgrew shellfish and tree nut allergies."

However, researchers also stated that if the child has shown severe allergic reactions to eggs in the past, it is less likely that he or she would outgrow the allergy, but can still tolerate hen's eggs to a certain extent.  Some symptoms for severe allergic reactions include rapid swelling of the skin and tissue, difficulty breathing and life-threatening anaphylaxis.

"While these studies show many positive findings for children with egg allergy, parents must practice caution," said allergist Richard Weber, M.D., ACAAI president-elect. "Introducing an allergen back into a child's diet can have severe consequences, and only should be done under the care of a board-certified allergist."