Food Allergies: Epidemiology, Symptoms & Therapeutic Approaches

Food allergy is an inappropriate immune response to certain food components. Although its increasing prevalence over the past two decades and potentially fatal consequences have made food allergy a formidable public health issue, there has been no effective therapy to treat food allergy, and patients are compelled to resort to the strict avoidance of allergenic foods and must have rapid access to emergency care in the event of accidental exposure. Chapter One of this book examines food allergy and vaccinations. Chapter Two describes an effective and safe oral immunotherapy using IFN-y for food allergies with advanced concepts in comparison to the current worldwide approach to oral immunotherapy. Chapter Three evaluates the epidemiological studies in tropical regions done on food allergies and compares them with studies done in the United States and Europe. Chapter Four examines the contribution psychology has made to our understanding of how people live with food allergies, examines the evidence for psychological therapies that may help improve patients’ and parents’ lives and highlights avenues for future research.