Food Allergy
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
- Food allergy facts
- Introduction to food allergies
- How do allergic reactions to food occur?
- What are the symptoms and signs of food allergy?
- Do infants and children have problems with food allergy?
- What are the most common food allergies?
- What is cross-reactivity?
- What is oral allergy syndrome?
- What is exercise-induced food allergy?
- What conditions have mistakenly been attributed to food allergy?
- What conditions mimic food allergy?
- How is food allergy diagnosed?
- What is the treatment for a food allergy?
- Are allergy shots effective for food allergy?
- Pictures of Food Allergy Triggers & Where They Hide - Slideshow
- Take the Quiz on Allergies
- Pictures of 10 Common Allergy Triggers - Slideshow
- Patient Comments: Food Allergy - Allergy Shots
- Patient Comments: Food Allergy - Symptoms
- Patient Comments: Food Allergy - Describe Your Experience
- Find a local Asthma & Allergy Specialist in your town
Food allergy facts
- Food allergy is not common but can be serious.
- Food allergy differs from food intolerance, which is far more common.
- The more frequent types of food allergies in adults differ from those in children.
- Children can outgrow their food allergies, but adults usually do not.
- The diagnosis of food allergy is made with a detailed history, the patient's diet diary, or an elimination diet.
- Food allergy is treated primarily by dietary avoidance.
Introduction to food allergies
Either food allergy or food intolerance affects nearly everyone at some point. When people have an unpleasant reaction to something they ate, they often think that they have an allergy to the food. Actually, however, only about 3% of adults and 6%-8% of children have clinically proven true allergic reactions to food.
This difference between the prevalence of clinically proven food allergy and the public's perception of the problem is due primarily to misinterpreting food intolerance or other adverse reactions to food as food allergy. A true food allergy is an abnormal response to food that is triggered by a specific reaction in the immune system and expressed by certain, often characteristic, symptoms. Other kinds of reactions to foods that are not food allergies include food intolerances (such as lactose or milk intolerance), food poisoning, and toxic reactions. Food intolerance also is an abnormal response to food, and its symptoms can resemble those of food allergy. Food intolerance, however, is far more prevalent, occurs in a variety of diseases, and is triggered by several different mechanisms that are distinct from the immunological reaction responsible for food allergy.
People who have food allergies must identify and prevent them because, although usually mild and not severe, these reactions can cause devastating illness and, in rare instances, can be fatal.
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