An expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has issued comprehensive U.S. guidelines to assist health care professionals in diagnosing food allergy and managing the care of people with the disease.
The Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States: Report of the NIAID-sponsored Expert Panel, developed over two years, are intended for use by both family practice physicians and medical specialists.
Published online by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the guidelines and summary recommendations are freely accessible on the NIAID food allergy guidelines portal at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/clinical/. NIAID expects to make a lay language synopsis of the guidelines available there in early 2011.
“Food allergy affects millions of Americans, and these individuals seek care from a wide variety of health care providers,” says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “Because these guidelines provide standardized, concise recommendations on how to diagnose and manage food allergy and treat acute food allergy reactions across sp…
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A food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein.Many health problems arise from undiscovered food sensitivities.A protein in the food is the most common allergic component. These kinds of allergies occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies a protein as harmful. The cause of food allergies is related to your body making a type of allergy-producing substance called immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to a particular food.Although many people have a food intolerance, food allergies are less common. In a true food allergy, the immune system produces antibodies and histamine in response to the specific food.
In children, the most common food allergies are to:
Eggs,Milk,Peanuts,Tree nuts,Wheat.
In older children and adults, the most common food allergies are:
Fish,Peanuts,Shellfish,Tree nuts