Diagnosis and assessment of food allergy in children and young people.

Food allergies are recognised as a major paediatric health problem in Western countries, affecting 6% to 8% of children up to the age of three years. Food allergy symptoms can be very severe or subtle and sometimes overlooked. Following a Department of Health review of allergy services in 2006, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was commissioned to produce a guideline to support GPs and other healthcare professionals in primary care and community settings in recognising the signs and symptoms of food allergy in order to bring about consistency in diagnosis and assessment. This paper has been written by a member of the guideline development group to provide an overview of the guidance. The guidance addresses six key clinical questions about taking an allergy-focused clinical history, signs and symptoms of IgE-mediated and non-lgE mediated allergy, information and support that should be offered during the assessment process, when to refer on to secondary or specialist services, and the value of alternative allergy tests.