Food Allergy
- Sep 16, 2025
- 2 min read
Full Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5940350/
Authors: Onyinye I. Iweala, Shailesh K. Choudhary, and Scott P. Commins
Published online on April 5, 2018
National Library of Medicine
Abstract
Purpose of Review
The goal of this review is to present an updated summary of the natural history of major childhood and adult food allergies and report recent advances in potential treatments for food allergy.
Recent Findings
The most common childhood food allergies are typically outgrown by adolescence or adulthood. However, peanut/tree nut allergies appear to more commonly persist into adulthood. Adults can develop new IgE-mediated food allergies; the most common is oral allergy syndrome. There are multiple different approaches being tried as possible treatments for food allergy.
Summary
The prevalence of food allergy appears to be increasing but the varied approaches to treatment are being actively pursued such that an approved modality may not be too far in the future.
Keywords: Food allergy, Specific IgE, Peanut allergy, Adult food allergy, Food immunotherapy
Introduction
Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food caused by immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody. In children, the foods that most often trigger allergic reactions include egg, cow’s milk, peanut, tree nuts, soy, and wheat [1]. For adults, this list includes fish and shellfish in addition to peanut and tree nuts. Allergic reactions can be life-threatening when these involve respiratory and/or cardiovascular distress; however, most reactions are not severe. There is no current FDA-approved therapy, so avoidance of relevant foods and access to epinephrine are recommended. Fortunately, several potential therapies are under study. Many reviews exist for food allergy and food intolerance and this one is focused on several of the more common IgE-mediated food allergies in children and adults.
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