The UCLA Food Allergy Program offers centralized evaluation and treatment for
adult and pediatric patients with suspected food allergies. It also provides
education to patients and their families and serves as a center for food allergy
research. The program, currently the only one of its kind in the western United
States, includes a gastroenterologist and a dietitian who both specialize in
food allergy patients.
Approximately 8 percent of children and 2 percent of adults suffer from food
hypersensitivity. Each year in the U.S., about 30,000 episodes of anaphylaxis
and 150 deaths occur due to food allergy.
The UCLA program offers comprehensive diagnostic testing for patients with
suspected food allergies or suspected adverse reactions to specific foods. These
tests include skin testing for food allergies, blood testing for IgE antibodies
(radioallergosorbent test or RAST) and food challenges. Food challenge is the
gold standard of food allergy testing, but because of the danger of a severe
reaction, it should only be undertaken at a facility equipped to handle allergic
reaction emergencies. Apart from the safety issue, food challenges provide the
best and most reliable information when they are performed as double-blind,
placebocontrolled tests of increasing concentrations of the suspected food
allergen.
In recent years, blood tests have become more sophisticated and now offer for
the most common food allergies the ability to predict the likelihood that the
patient will experience generalized reactions to the food allergen. The new
test, called ImmunoCAP, can help guide decisions about food avoidance.
Generalized reactions can range from relatively mild skin reactions – such as
hives – to anaphylaxis.
Appropriate Patients
Food allergy can present in a variety of forms. One of the signs of food
sensitivity commonly seen in pediatric patients is the early onset of eczema –
often at around 3 months of age – which can be the precursor to the development
of the more familiar and immediate hive reaction to food allergens. Babies with
severe eczema, those with persistent vomiting or diarrhea that does not resolve
with formula change, and babies who fail to thrive can all benefit from a
careful and thorough food allergy evaluation. Such an evaluation can be useful
in pinpointing specific food allergies or in simply ruling out food sensitivity
to avoid unnecessary restrictions and to allow the pediatrician to proceed to
other diagnoses.
Evidence suggests that appropriate early dietary intervention may prevent
further allergic manifestations, such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. When a
family history of allergy exists, pediatricians should consider an early
referral to a specialized food allergy program. For children diagnosed with a
food allergy, periodic retesting is appropriate to determine if they have
outgrown their allergy.
A dedicated food allergy program can be especially helpful for adult patients
who have a complex history of food allergy, or who have a severe or atypical
form of food allergy. Because managing food allergy cases can be both
diagnostically and therapeutically challenging, the UCLA Food Allergy Program
offers comprehensive services to support physicians in the community in
providing the best possible care for their patients.
Patient and parent education
Food allergy patients frequently receive misinformation about their
condition, so providing patients with sound, scientific information can be an
important element in helping them manage their condition. A registered
dietitian, who is part of the program staff, provides counseling on recommended
diets and foods to avoid as well as advise on such topics as reading food labels
and strategies for dining at restaurants.
A developing field of research
Important parts of the mission of the UCLA Food Allergy Program are to
contribute to the research conducted in the field of food allergy, and to
provide treatment alternatives to food avoidance. Interest in this field of
medical research has increased in recent years as experts continue to seek ways
to improve the lives of food allergy sufferers.
Contact information
For more information, to consult with a UCLA Food Allergy Program physician,
or to make an appointment, call:
310-825-6481 – Division of Pediatric Allergy
and Immunology
800-825-2631 – UCLA
Physician Helpline
Participating physicians
Maria Garcia-Lloret, M.D.
Marc Riedl, M.D.
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