Food Allergy Guidelines Released!

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December 6, 2010 — The first food allergy guidelines were issued today by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

These guidelines have been a long time coming... the emphasis is on:
1. Appropriate diagnosis based on correlation with the clinical history and not simply a positive blood or skin test- food allergy is often overcalled on the basis of testing without proper interpretation
2. Not summarily restricting vaccines such as MMR and influenza in egg-allergic patients
3. Not unnecessarily restricting the maternal diet in an attempt to prevent food allergies in the fetus and infant
4. Prompt use of intramuscular epinephrine in the event of anaphylaxis

The full report (58 pages): http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0091-6749/PIIS0091674910015666.pdf
The summary report (44 pages): http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/clinical/Documents/FAGuidelinesExecSummary.pdf

A synopsis of the guidelines, written in plain English, will be available on the NIAID website in early 2011.

Click here for a one-page "What's in It for Patients?" document.

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