ABC of allergies: Diagnosing allergy

ABC of allergies. Good allergy practice.

Allergic diseases result from an exaggerated response of the immune system to external substances. They are a common and increasing cause of illness and in Britain affect about 1 in 6 of the population. The annual cost to the NHS and the Department of Health for asthma alone is in excess of £750m. Although the public is concerned that the NHS has inadequate facilities for diagnosing and treatin...

Diagnosing food allergy: a test of patience.

Food Hypersensitivity: Diagnosing and Managing Food Allergies and Intolerances

The last two years have seen the publication of 3 major guidelines on the diagnosis and management of food hyper-sensitivity (FHS) [1–3]. These guidelines have highlighted important issues in dealing with those with FHS, primarily food allergies. Dealing with adults and children with food allergies requires the healthcare professional to have an understanding of the immune mechanisms involved i...

Diagnosing and managing common food allergies: a systematic review.

CONTEXT There is heightened interest in food allergies but no clear consensus exists regarding the prevalence or most effective diagnostic and management approaches to food allergies. OBJECTIVE To perform a systematic review of the available evidence on the prevalence, diagnosis, management, and prevention of food allergies. DATA SOURCES Electronic searches of PubMed, Cochrane Database of S...

Diagnosing and managing food allergy in children.

The prevalence of food allergy in children in the UK is now around 5%. The number of children put on restricted diets by their parents because of presumed allergy is likely to be much higher. Accurate diagnosis of food allergy is essential in order to ensure that the correct foods are carefully avoided while safe foods are not excluded unnecessarily. IgE-mediated (immediate type) reactions are ...