BACKGROUND Cow's milk allergy diagnosis many times requires double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC), which presents high accuracy but involves risks, specifically in infants and anaphylactic patients. The identification of the cut-off values for specific IgE to milk or its components would contribute to cow's milk allergy (CMA) diagnosis. The aim of this study was to compare dis...

BACKGROUND Only one previous study, via telephone call, on the prevalence of self-reported food allergies has been performed in Portugal, in a small sample of adults. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported and probable food allergy, analyze the clinical features and involved foods in Portuguese adults. METHODS Population-based, cross-sectional study perfo...

INTRODUCTION The prevalence of perceived food allergies exceeds that of true food allergies. Unnecessary food avoidance may increase parental and patient anxiety, reduce quality of life and increase the risk of nutritional deficiency. An oral food challenge (OFC) can provide an objective measure regarding the presence or absence of food allergies in a child. This study reviews the indications f...

BACKGROUND Threshold levels for peanut allergy determined by using oral challenges are important for the food industry with regard to allergen labeling. Moreover, the utility of biological markers in predicting threshold levels is uncertain. OBJECTIVE We sought to use a modified oral food challenge regimen that might determine threshold levels for peanut allergy mimicking a more real-life exp...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the role of specific IgG4 antibodies to hen's egg white and determine their utility as a marker for the outcome of oral challenge test in children sensitized to hen's egg METHODS The hen's egg oral food challenge test was performed in 105 sensitized children without atopic dermatitis, and the titers of egg white-specific immunoglobulin G4 (I...

Although food allergy has emerged as a major health problem, the mechanisms that are decisive in the development of sensitization to dietary Ag remain largely unknown. CTLA-4 signaling negatively regulates immune activation, and may play a crucial role in preventing induction and/or progression of sensitization to food Ag. To elucidate the role of CTLA-4 signaling in responses to food allergens...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The article discusses the clinical management of patients affected by food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), focusing on established therapeutic choices and future options. RECENT FINDINGS After FPIES has been diagnosed and avoidance of the culprit food prescribed, the most important management needs are as follows. First, recurrence of acute FPIES episodes due...

Carrot is frequently involved in food allergies and oral allergy syndromes, usually in association with other foods. Nevertheless, carrot alone is rarely responsible for severe systemic reactions. We report a case of anaphylactic shock due to the inadvertent ingestion of carrot as a hidden allergen contained in an ice-cream. The etiological role of carrot in provoking the symptoms was thoroughl...

Australia has reported the highest rates of food allergy, using the gold standard, oral food challenge. This phenomenon, which appears linked to the "modern lifestyle" and has coincided with the explosion of the new diseases of affluence in the 21st century, dubbed "affluenza," has spurred a multitude of theories and academic investigations. This review focuses on potentially modifiable lifesty...

A female in her early 50s presented with a long-standing history of episodic urticaria and angioedema. She also reported urticarial reactions after ingestion of aspirin, prednisone and multiple antibiotics. These medications were all taken during upper respiratory tract infections. An elimination diet followed by a series of open challenges to food chemicals demonstrated an urticarial eruption ...