title: Clinical management of food allergy.
abstract: Food allergies are commonly seen by the practitioner, and managing these patients is often challenging. Recent epidemiologic studies report that as many as 1 in 13 children in the United States may have a food allergy, which makes this an important disease process to appropriately diagnose and manage for primary care physicians and specialists alike. Having a understanding of the basic immunologic processes that underlie varying presentations of food-induced allergic diseases will guide the clinician in the initial workup. This review will cover the basic approach to understanding the immune response of an individual with food allergy after ingestion and will guide the clinician in applying appropriate testing modalities when needed by conducting food challenges if indicated and by educating the patient and his or her guardian to minimize the risk of accidental ingestion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tex. Electronic address: drew.bird@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: J Andrew
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bird
authors.affiliation: Division of Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology, MRC and Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Children's Allergy Unit, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gideon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lack
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Ark; Department of Allergy and Immunology, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Ark.
authors.forename: Tamara T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Perry
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D004837:Epinephrine
keywords: Anaphylaxis; Autoinjectable epinephrine; Cross-contact; Food allergy; Label reading; Oral food challenge; Skin prick test; Travel