REVIEW ARTICLE
Food Allergy: Review, Classification and Diagnosis

https://doi.org/10.2332/allergolint.09-RAI-0138Get rights and content
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ABSTRACT

Food allergies, defined as an immune response to food proteins, affect as many as 8% of young children and 2% of adults in westernized countries, and their prevalence appears to be rising like all allergic diseases. In addition to well-recognized urticaria and anaphylaxis triggered by IgE antibody-mediated immune responses, there is an increasing recognition of cell-mediated disorders such as eosinophilic esophagitis and food protein-induced enterocolitis. New knowledge is being developed on the pathogenesis of both IgE and non-IgE mediated disease. Currently, management of food allergies consists of educating the patient to avoid ingesting the responsible allergen and initiating therapy if ingestion occurs. However, novel strategies are being studied, including sublingual/oral immunotherapy and others with a hope for future.

ABBREVIATIONS

TH2
T helper cells type 2
MHC
major histocompatibility complex
OIT
oral immunotherapy
CLA
cutaneous lymphocyte antigen
PAF
platelet-activating factor
DBPC
double-blinded and placebo controlled

KEY WORDS

allergen specific IgE
food allergy
food protein induced enterocolitis
non-IgE
peanut hypersensitivity

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