Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.
2004 Jun;14(2):119-126.
Food Allergy; Diagnosis and Treatment
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Pediatrics, Ilsan-Paik Hospital, Inje University, Kyungki-do, Korea.
Abstract
- Up to 5% of young children suffer from food allergy. Children with food allergy may present with a variety of symptoms that parents have attributed to constituents of the diet. The diagnosis and management of adverse food reactions is a challenge for physicians. Diagnostic approaches are composed of a detailed history, in vitro tests and in vivo tests. Improved diagnostic methods include more precise in vitro and in vivo tests for immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergies, in vitro assays for predicting development of oral tolerance, and novel non-invasive tests for cell-mediated food allergies such as patch testing, cytokine assays, and detection of eosinophil activation markers. The conventional diet therapy, pharmacotherapy and new immunomodulatory approaches to food allergy are also discussed. Rapidly evolving findings might provide hope for a cure of food allergy in the near future.
