NHD CPD eArticle vol 7 07

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NHD CPD eArticle SPONSORED BY

NETWORK HEALTH DIGEST

Volume 7.07 - 27th April 2017

PAEDIATRIC FOOD ALLERGY: A GUIDE FOR THE NON-SPECIALIST DIETITIAN Kathryn Cockerell Paediatric Dietitian Children’s Therapies, Dorset County Hospital Kathryn is Paediatric Dietitian with a special interest in food allergy, gastrointestinal conditions, and obesity. She previously worked as a research dietitian for the LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut) Study.

Kathryn’s article for NHD has been peer reviewed by Dr Rosan Meyer, Paediatric Research Dietitian, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Imperial College, London and Chair of the BDA Food Allergy and Intolerance Specialist Group.

Published prevalence data indicates that food allergy is increasing worldwide and resulting in significant morbidity, impact on quality of life and costly medical intervention.1 In clinical practice across the UK, food allergy often presents in a community or primary care setting where levels of knowledge vary greatly amongst health professionals.2-4 This article aims to provide a guide for the non-specialist dietitian in the effective assessment, diagnosis and management of the food allergic child, but could also be used by other primary care health professionals. Adverse reactions to food can involve several different physiological mechanisms. A food allergy is an adverse reaction to food that is caused by an inappropriate immune response involving: (A) a type of antibody called Immunoglobulin E (IgE-mediated), (B) non-IgE mediated involving other immune cells e.g. t-cells (cell-mediated), or (C) a mixture of both. There are numerous presentations of food allergy with distinct and overlapping clinical features (a summary is provided in Table 1 overleaf). Non-allergic adverse reactions to food can be caused by an intolerance, for example, a deficiency in the lactase enzyme in lactose intolerance,6 or

by a pharmacological response to a chemical component in the food, for example, salicylate or sulphites.7 Symptoms often overlap between conditions which can make differential diagnosis challenging; however an allergy focused history will help in distinguishing between the two.8,9 RECOGNISING FOOD ALLERGY

A 2006 Department of Health (DoH) report, A review of services for allergy,4 identified a significant variation in the provision of allergy services across the National Health Service (NHS) and gaps in the knowledge and skills of staff dealing with allergy, particularly in diagnosis.2 The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance to support clinicians in the appropriate management of allergic disease (Table 2 overleaf). NICE Clinical Guideline 116, Food allergy in under 19s,8 was developed in response to the recognition of the variation in practice for allergy care. Aimed at primary care professionals, the guideline sets out both a care

Cows’ Milk Allergy Weaning Guide Copyright © 2017 NH Publishing Ltd - All rights reserved. Available for printing and sharing for the use of CPD activities for personal use. Not for reproduction for publishing purposes without written permission from NH Publishing Ltd.


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