Update on food allergy

Abstract

Food allergies are a global health issue with increasing prevalence. Allergic reactions can range from mild local symptoms to severe anaphylactic reactions. Significant progress has been made in diagnostic tools such as componentresolved diagnostics and its impact on risk stratification as well as in therapeutic approaches including biologicals. However, a cure for food allergy has not yet been achieved and patients and their families are forced to alter eating habits and social engagements, impacting their quality of life. New technologies and improved in vitro and in vivo models will advance our knowledge of the pathogenesis of food allergies and multicenter-multinational cohort studies will elucidate interactions between genetic background, lifestyle, and environmental factors. This review focuses on new insights and developments in the field of food allergy and summarizes recently published articles.Food allergy is an adverse, reproducible immune-mediated reaction to a given food. The most common allergens affecting infants are milk and egg. Peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, eggs, and milk commonly trigger allergic reactions in older children. In adults, pollen allergy often leads to cross-reactive food allergies. Allergic reactions can range from mild local symptoms, for example, in oral allergy syndrome (OAS), to severe life-threatening anaphylaxis. These reactions are absent during avoidance of the specific trigger. The underlying immune responses can be classified as IgE-mediated, non-IgE-mediated, or a mixture of both (Fig. 1). However, the pathogenesis of food allergy is still not completely understood. Importantly, the prevalence of food allergies is rising in both developed and developing countries, especially over the last 10-15 years (1), which increases the personal as well as global health burden. New diagnostic tools allow for better risk stratification of allergic reactions, but therapeutic options are still limited.In this review, we will examine recent publications and their impact on our knowledge of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of food allergy. The primary aim is to summarize novelties and put them into perspective rather than providing a comprehensive review. EpidemiologyThe prevalence of food allergy is not well established; it varies widely according to the methodology used to diagnose a food allergy. In a systematic review and meta-analysis of European studies, the self-reported lifetime prevalence of allergy to cow's milk was 6.0% but only 0.6% for positive food challenge (2). The EuroPrevall project has set up three complementary studies: a birth cohort study (3), a Abbreviations AAI, adrenaline auto-injector; AIT, allergen-specific immunotherapy; BAT, basophil activation test; CMPA, cow's milk protein allergy; CRD, component-resolved diagnostics; EoE, eosinophilic esophagitis; FPE, food protein enteropathy; FPIAP, food proteininduced allergic proctocolitis; FPIES, food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome; HRQL, health-related quality of life; HWP, h...

Anti-Allergic Compounds from the Deep-Sea-Derived Actinomycete Nesterenkonia flava MCCC 1K00610

“…Presently, with the increasing prevalence of food allergies, anti-allergic testing is becoming increasingly commonplace [27]. However, there are no approved treatments other than avoidance [28,29]. Dietary intervention is a crucial component of food allergy management but can negatively impact nutrient intake and may influence growth and development [30].…”

Approaches of Improving Food Allergy Knowledge: Children with food allergy’s quality of life

“…However, extra caution is needed to provide food that is safe to be consumed by food allergy sufferers. This is due to the fact that, wrongly ingested food can lead to food allergy reactions and death for severe food allergy sufferers (Carrard, Rizzuti, & Sokollik, 2015). There is no cure for food allergy.…”

“…While a person can develop food allergy at the early stage of his/ her life (Muraro et al,2017), food allergies are found to be present across all ages from infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, or in adulthood (Muraro et al, 2017).Consequently, food allergy sufferers must take extra precaution about the food they consume to avoid accidental ingestion (Carrard et al, 2015). There are more than 170 foods that have been identified as food allergens that could trigger food allergic reactions (Boye, 2012).…”

Accurate Determination of Childhood Food Allergy Prevalence and Correction of Unnecessary Avoidance

“…An increasing prevalence of food allergy (FA) has recently been reported among children 12. However, the true prevalence of FA, as based on an oral food challenge test (OFC), is relatively unknown 3.…”