Egg hypersensitivity in review

Abstract

Egg hypersensitivity is the second most common food allergy with a prevalence of up to 1.7% and the discovery of information about egg allergy is ongoing. This review aims to summarize the current understanding of the allergens involved, natural history, clinical presentation, diagnostic strategies, treatment options, egg-containing vaccine guidelines, and future therapies for health care providers in managing egg hypersensitivity. Recent clinically applicable articles are reviewed for the allergist as an update for the state of the art management of egg allergy. Approximately 70% of children will outgrow egg allergy by 16 years of age and children are able to tolerate well-cooked eggs sooner than uncooked eggs. Egg-specific IgE of >50 kIU(A)/L can be used as a predictor for persistent egg allergy. Double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges are still the gold standard for diagnosis. Oral immunotherapy trials still are not generalizable for routine clinical practice, but the influenza vaccine can be given to most egg-allergic patients. Allergists can now educate, diagnose, and manage egg-allergic patients with state-of-the-art information to improve patient's quality of life as never before.