Review
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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 28, 2006; 12(48): 7744-7752
Published online Dec 28, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i48.7744
Food allergy in gastroenterologic diseases: Review of literature
Pasquale Mansueto, Giuseppe Montalto, Maria Luisa Pacor, Maria Esposito-Pellitteri, Vito Ditta, Claudia Lo Bianco, Stefania Maria Leto-Barone, Gabriele Di Lorenzo
Pasquale Mansueto, Giuseppe Montalto, Maria Esposito-Pellitteri, Vito Ditta, Claudia Lo Bianco, Stefania Maria Leto-Barone, Gabriele Di Lorenzo, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e delle Patologie Emergenti, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy
Maria Luisa Pacor, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy
Correspondence to: Pasquale Mansueto, MD, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e delle Patologie Emergenti, Via del Vespro n°141, Palermo 90127, Italy. pamansu@unipa.it
Telephone: +39-91-6552970 Fax: +39-91-6555995
Received: September 11, 2006
Revised: September 28, 2006
Accepted: November 14, 2006
Published online: December 28, 2006
Abstract

Food allergy is a common and increasing problem worldwide. The newly-found knowledge might provide novel experimental strategies, especially for laboratory diagnosis. Approximately 20% of the population alters their diet for a perceived adverse reaction to food, but the application of double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenge, the “gold standard” for diagnosis of food allergy, shows that questionnaire-based studies overestimate the prevalence of food allergies. The clinical disorders determined by adverse reactions to food can be classified on the basis of immunologic or nonimmunologic mechanisms and the organ system or systems affected. Diagnosis of food allergy is based on clinical history, skin prick tests, and laboratory tests to detect serum-food specific IgE, elimination diets and challenges. The primary therapy for food allergy is to avoid the responsible food. Antihistamines might partially relieve oral allergy syndrome and IgE-mediated skin symptoms, but they do not block systemic reactions. Systemic corticosteroids are generally effective in treating chronic IgE-mediated disorders. Epinephrine is the mainstay of treatment for anaphylaxis. Experimental therapies for IgE-mediated food allergy have been evaluated, such as humanized IgG anti-IgE antibodies and allergen specific immunotherapy.

Keywords: Food intolerance; Food allergy; Skin prick test; Serum food-specific IgE; Oral food challenges