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Published in: Current Allergy and Asthma Reports 5/2016

01-05-2016 | Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (WK Dolen, Section Editor)

Food Allergy: Our Evolving Understanding of Its Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment

Authors: Onyinye I. Iweala, A. Wesley Burks

Published in: Current Allergy and Asthma Reports | Issue 5/2016

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Abstract

Food allergy is defined as an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity response to ingested food with allergic symptoms ranging from urticaria to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Food allergy is thought to develop because of (1) failed induction of tolerance upon initial exposure to food antigen or (2) breakdown of established tolerance to food antigen. We review current understanding of the pathogenesis, epidemiology, and natural history of food allergy, including the unconventional IgE-mediated food allergy to mammalian meat known as alpha-gal food allergy. We highlight emerging data on food allergy treatment and prevention, emphasizing the growing appeal of manipulating the gut microenvironment using probiotics and helminth products to blunt systemic allergic responses to food.
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Metadata
Title
Food Allergy: Our Evolving Understanding of Its Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment
Authors
Onyinye I. Iweala
A. Wesley Burks
Publication date
01-05-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Allergy and Asthma Reports / Issue 5/2016
Print ISSN: 1529-7322
Electronic ISSN: 1534-6315
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-016-0616-7

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