Research area: Population Health > Population Allergy

Overview

The Egg-Up Trial will explore whether a new, home-based, dietitian-led model of care is a safe and feasible treatment pathway for infants with newly diagnosed egg allergy.

An Allergy Specialist Dietitian from The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) will guide families through a cautious approach, which introduces egg at home following the five-step Egg Ladder. This is instead of relying on complete egg avoidance until age two, as currently prescribed.

What is an Egg Ladder?

An Egg Ladder is a form of dietary advancement therapy that aims to help develop a natural tolerance to the allergen through the gradual introduction of egg over time.

Starting at egg allergy diagnosis and undertaken for 12 months, each step includes a five-day up-dose home challenge using recipes carefully designed by an Allergy Specialist Dietitian from RCH.

Information for participants

If an Allergy Specialist from RCH has diagnosed your baby with egg allergy, you may be eligible to take part in this new clinical trial. 

Infants will be eligible to enrol if they:  

• Are between four and 12 months old 
• Have a physician-diagnosed egg allergy in conjunction with a positive Skin Prick Test to egg white 
• Are a patient of an Allergy Specialist from RCH  

Infants will be ineligible to participate if they have: 

• Not started or are unable to eat solid food  
• A history of severe food-induced anaphylaxis 
• Physician diagnosed recurrent wheeze  

What’s involved

Participants will be required to:

• Take part in two Telehealth appointments with your Allergy Specialist Dietitian 
• Slowly introduce egg at home following the five-step Egg Ladder 
• Complete two online questionnaires about allergy history, food allergy-related quality of life and anxiety  
• Complete 12 monthly online questionnaires about the safety and ease of following the Egg Ladder 
• Do two blood tests to look at egg allergy markers  
• Participate in a final follow-up 12 months after egg allergy diagnosis
  
  

Research team

Principal Investigator

Dr Vicki McWilliam is a clinician-scientist fellow at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, senior dietitian at The Royal Children’s Hospital and co-author of the Allergy Friendly Family Cookbook. She is also an Associate Investigator of the Centre for Food Allergy Research.

Associate Investigators

Contact us

Egg-Up Trial
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
The Royal Children's Hospital
50 Flemington Road
Parkville VIC 3052
Australia

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