Advances in Food Allergy

Food allergy has been increasing in prevalence for the past few decades, and numerous studies have evaluated ways of improving the allergy practitioner's ability to accurately diagnose patients who are truly food allergic, rather than sensitive but able to tolerate food. Once diagnosed, the current standard treatment is food elimination and avoidance, but other potential treatment options, like oral immunotherapy, sublingual immunotherapy, and epicutaneous immunotherapy, are becoming promising alternatives. Due to health care costs and potential for life-threatening adverse reactions, much attention has been given to the prevention of food allergies, resulting a shift in recent guideline recommendations.