IgE-mediated food allergy in children.

Abstract

Food allergy is a serious health issue affecting roughly 4% of children, with a substantial effect on quality of life. Prognosis is good for the most frequent allergens with almost all children outgrowing their allergy. However, the long-term implications for disease burden are substantial for children with persistent allergies (eg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish) and for those with high concentrations of milk, egg, and wheat IgE. Antigen avoidance has been the time-honoured approach both for prevention and treatment. However, findings from studies done in the past 5 years show that early contact with food can induce tolerance and desensitisation to foods. We review the epidemiology, natural history, and management of food allergy, and discuss the areas of controversy and future directions in research and clinical practice.

• Authors: Giorgio Longo, Irene Berti, A Wesley Burks, Baruch Krauss, Egidio Barbi
• Journal: Lancet (London, England) (Lancet) Vol. 382 Issue 9905 Pg. 1656-64 (Nov 16 2013) ISSN: 1474-547X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23845860 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Histamine Antagonists
• Immunoglobulin E
• Epinephrine

Topics

• Adolescent
• Animals
• Breast Feeding
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Desensitization, Immunologic (methods)
• Diet
• Egg Hypersensitivity (epidemiology, immunology, therapy)
• Epinephrine (therapeutic use)
• Food Hypersensitivity (epidemiology, immunology, therapy)
• Histamine Antagonists (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin E (immunology)
• Infant
• Milk Hypersensitivity (epidemiology, immunology, therapy)
• Nuts (adverse effects)
• Peanut Hypersensitivity (epidemiology, immunology, therapy)
• Seafood (adverse effects)
• Skin Tests
• Wheat Hypersensitivity (epidemiology, immunology, therapy)