title: The Prevalence of Food Allergies in Children Referred to a Multidisciplinary Feeding Program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of food allergy in children presenting to a multidisciplinary feeding program.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review was conducted from 302 patients. We recorded history of food reaction, family history of any atopic disease, radioallergosorbent testing, prematurity, birth weight, breastfeeding history, Z-scores, age, and gastrointestinal mucosal biopsy reports with eosinophilic infiltrate. Three categories of possible food allergy were stratified based on increasing evidence of allergy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Possible food allergy was found for 18% (n = 54), likely food allergy for 6% (n = 18), and very likely food allergy for 16% (n = 47) for a total of 40% classified in a food allergy group. Having been breastfed correlated with likelihood of food allergy but tube-feeding dependence did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study revealed a higher proportion of children in a feeding program with food allergy compared to the general population, but larger prospective studies are needed to confirm the association.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA kauyeun1@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Karla Au
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Tessa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scheimann
authors.affiliation: Ohio State University School of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Elsie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reinhardt
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girolami
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D019959:Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: atopy; childhood feeding disorder; food allergy