Food allergy
IgE and non-IgE food allergy in adults, the adult-onset syndromes (pollen-food, wheat-dependent exercise-induced, alpha-gal, shellfish, FPIES), reading sensitisation tests and components, oral food challenge, adrenaline and action plans, immunotherapy and omalizumab, and infant allergy prevention.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Food allergy is an immune reaction to a food protein: IgE-mediated, non-IgE-mediated or mixed. Lactose intolerance, FODMAP symptoms, sulfite and salicylate sensitivity, scombroid and caffeine effects are intolerances or toxic reactions, not allergy.
- Australia has one of the highest rates in the world: about 10% of infants, 4 to 8% of children and about 2% of adults (ASCIA).
- Diagnosis rests on the history. Skin prick tests and specific IgE show sensitisation, not allergy. The oral food challenge is the reference standard.
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Sources
- ASCIA food allergy resources, Action Plans and position papers (food allergen challenges, oral immunotherapy, unorthodox testing)AU/NZAustralasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), web pages updated 2024 to 2026
- ASCIA Guideline: Infant Feeding for Food Allergy Prevention. Clin Exp Allergy 2026;56(4):319-329AU/NZAustralasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), 2026
- Santos AF et al. EAACI guidelines on the diagnosis of IgE-mediated food allergy. Allergy 2023;78(12):3057-3076European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2023
- Santos AF et al. EAACI guidelines on the management of IgE-mediated food allergy. Allergy 2025;80(1):14-36European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2025
- Young A et al. The National Allergy Centre of Excellence: addressing Australia's allergy burden. Clin Exp Allergy 2026;56(11):1385-1396AU/NZClinical and Experimental Allergy, 2026
- Osborne NJ et al. Prevalence of challenge-proven IgE-mediated food allergy using population-based sampling and predetermined challenge criteria in infants (HealthNuts). J Allergy Clin Immunol 2011;127:668-676AU/NZJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2011
- Du Toit G et al. Randomized trial of peanut consumption in infants at risk for peanut allergy (LEAP). N Engl J Med 2015;372:803-813New England Journal of Medicine, 2015
- Wood RA et al. Omalizumab for the treatment of multiple food allergies (OUtMATCH). N Engl J Med 2024;390:889-899New England Journal of Medicine, 2024
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Personal emails, About story and Australian-style copy