Quality of life in food allergy: valid scales for children and adults.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this review is to give an overview of how health-related quality of life (HRQL) can be measured in food allergy and to explore recent findings on how food allergy might impact HRQL.


RESULTS
In addition to the more familiar burdens of having a food allergy, the psychosocial impact of food allergy and information gaps concerning food allergy have received much attention in the recent literature. Recently, reliable and valid disease-specific HRQL questionnaires have become available to measure the impact of food allergy on HRQL in food allergic patients of all ages.


CONCLUSIONS
Assessment of HRQL could be used by clinicians to get insight into the specific problems patients have to face. In addition, HRQL measurements may be used to measure the effects of an intervention on the patient's quality of life. Finally, HRQL is the only available measure reflecting the ongoing severity of food allergy, as no objective disease parameters are available.
Flokstra-de Blok
Bertine M J
BM
Division of Paediatric Pulmonology and Paediatric Allergy, Department of Paediatrics, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. b.m.j.flokstra.de.blok@bkk.umcg.nl
Dubois
Anthony E J
AE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*