Improved prospects for food allergy prevention
Rohan Ameratunga1 Auckland City Hospital, Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand
Correspondence to: Rohan Ameratunga, Auckland City Hospital, Park Rd, Grafton 1010, Auckland, New Zealand. Email: rohana@adhb.govt.nz
Journal of Primary Health Care 9(4) 254-257 https://doi.org/10.1071/HC17042
Published: 13 October 2017
Journal Compilation © Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners 2017.
This is an open access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Three recent publications from Professor Gideon Lack have fundamentally changed our understanding of how to prevent food allergy. His team has shown that early introduction of allergenic foods may prevent food allergy in most but not all high-risk children. Various allergy and paediatric societies around the world are changing their recommendations based on these three studies. It appears there is a window of opportunity to safely introduce allergenic foods to high-risk children. This has resource implications, as some of these children will need testing and food challenges.
KEY POINT: Allergenic foods must be introduced as soon as safely possible to at-risk children.
References
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