Quality of life in the setting of anaphylaxis and food allergy

Abstract

The diagnosis of a food allergy generally has a considerable impact on patients. Not does it result in dietary restrictions, it is often also associated with a constant threat scenario, given the risk of sudden allergic reactions, including life-threatening anaphylaxis. It is essential for patients to receive training on how to deal with emergency situations and make the correct decision regarding the use of emergency medication. Severe allergic reactions occur only rarely if patients are well informed. However, the fear of allergic reactions results in a significant impairment in quality of life (QoL). In recent years, numerous studies have been carried out on QoL in food-allergy and anaphylaxis patients. These studies provide insight into patient behaviour in everyday life. More importantly, by means of targeted and specific counselling, they also make it possible to reduce adverse effects on QoL and improve avoidance behaviour and compliance in terms of the requisite emergency measures. The present article summarizes the available data and formulates recommendations aimed at improving the care of food-allergy patients in terms of QoL and compliance.

Keywords: Food allergy; adolescents; adults; anaphylaxis; children; quality of life.

Fig. 1:

A comparison of patients with peanut allergy (blue) and insulin-dependent diabetes (orange) a: Fear of eating peanuts or to suffer a hypoglycaemia. b: Risk to suffer a severe reaction or to become very ill. c: I must be careful what I eat. d: I must be careful if I eat in a restaurant. (according to [12])