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. 2009 Oct;1(1):19-29.
doi: 10.4168/aair.2009.1.1.19. Epub 2009 Sep 25.

Food allergy: recent advances in pathophysiology and treatment

Julie Wang  1 , Hugh A Sampson
Affiliations

Food allergy: recent advances in pathophysiology and treatment

Julie Wang et al. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2009 Oct.

Abstract

Food allergies are adverse immune reactions to food proteins that affect up to 6% of children and 3-4% of adults. A wide range of symptoms can occur depending on whether IgE or non-IgE mediated mechanism are involved. Many factors influence the development of oral tolerance, including route of exposure, genetics, age of the host, and allergen factors. Advances have been made in the understanding of how these factors interact in the pathophysiology of food allergy. Currently, the mainstay of treatment for food allergies is avoidance and ready access to emergency medications. However, with the improved understanding of tolerance and advances in characterization of food allergens, several therapeutic strategies have been developed and are currently being investigated as potential treatments and/or cures for food allergy.

Keywords: allergy; anaphylaxis; food hypersensitivity; immunotherapy; oral tolerance.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no financial or other issues that might lead to conflict of interest.

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