IgE mediated food allergy throughout the life

Food allergy (FA) is an increasing problem throughout the world. In the last two decades, the frequency of FA has increased in both children and adults. The prevalence differs according to the research methodology, age and geographic regions, ranging between 2.0 to 10.0%. The most common form of FA is IgE mediated FA. In this form, patients may present with life-threatening condition as anaphylaxis or milder conditions like urticaria, angioedema, sneezing and nausea alone. The gold standard in the diagnosis of FA is oral provocation tests. Epidermal skin prick tests and specific IgE measurements as well as component resolved diagnostic techniques are helpful in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients. In this review, the epidemiology, diagnosis, follow-up and prognosis of Ig-E mediated FA in children and adults are discussed and some specific forms of FA such as pollen food allergy syndrome, alpha-gal allergy and food dependent exercise induced anaphylaxis are explained.

Keywords: Alpha-gal; IgE; anaphylaxis; food allergy; food challenge; pollen food allergy; skin prick test.