Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2012 Mar;22(1):4-20.

Guidelines for the Oral Food Challenges in Children

• Song TW
• Kim KW
• Kim WK
• Kim JH
• Kim HH
• Park YM
• Ahn K
• Yang HJ
• Yum HY
• Lee SY
• Jeon YH
• Pyun BY

Abstract

Oral food challenge is a definitive diagnostic test for immediate and occasionally delayed adverse reaction to foods. The gold standard for diagnosing food allergy is still the double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge, but it is time-consuming, expensive and troublesome for physician and patients. Open oral food challenge controlled by trained personnel is useful and sufficient methods when concern of bias is low. We aimed to provide a practical guideline for oral food challenge in children for the diagnosis of suspected food allergy or the evaluation of food tolerance. We considered reasons, types, indications, contraindications, risks, benefits, detailed methods, practical performance, interpretations of test results, and treatments for the adverse reactions of oral food challenge.

Keyword

Oral food challenge; Food allergy

MeSH Terms

Bias (Epidemiology)
Child
Diagnostic Tests, Routine
Food Hypersensitivity
Humans

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Flow sheet for the diagnostic work-up of children with suspected food-related clinical symptoms. IgE, immunoglobulin E; SPT, skin prick test. ∗In cases with milk, egg, peanut, and white fish. (Immunocap, Phadia AB, Uppsala, Sweden)

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  Fig. 2. Decision tree for various situations during oral food challenge procedures.

Reference

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