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Patient-Centered Outcomes in Food Allergy

  • Food Allergy (T Green, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Allergy and Asthma Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Food allergy prevalence is increasing very rapidly, causing a significant disease burden. The threat of severe allergic reactions occurring unexpectedly and in settings that are not equipped to recognize and treat anaphylaxis is a constant source of worry for individuals and families with food allergies. Inadequate knowledge and understanding in the community significantly impairs the overall quality of life of these individuals and families. Additionally, families face challenges in finding and affording appropriate allergen-free foods.

Recent Findings

Advancements have been made in understanding the impact of food allergies on patient-centered outcomes such as quality of life and economic impact, and attempts have been made to develop tools to assess patient-centered variables. Innovative national and regional initiatives are helping to spread awareness of the disease condition and to create resources, including access to allergen-free foods.

Summary

While there is a growing momentum toward recognition of food allergic disorders as a condition that profoundly impacts activities of daily living, greater effort needs to be expounded to develop validated tools and interventions that can adequately address these issues.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the generous sharing of pertinent information from representatives of the following organizations: Food Equality Initiative (FEI), Kansas City; Food Allergy Patient Family Advisory Council (FAPFAC), Children’s Mercy Kansas City; Community Council, Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Allergy/Immunology, Children’s Mercy Hospital, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO, 64108, USA

    Brooke I. Polk

  2. Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA

    Chitra Dinakar

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  1. Brooke I. Polk
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Correspondence to Brooke I. Polk.

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Conflict of Interest

Chitra Dinakar is a co-investigator in food allergy desensitization, natural history and prevention studies sponsored by the NIH, AImmune, DBV Technologies, Astellas, AnapytysBio at the Sean N Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University. She was the founder of the Food Allergy Patient Family Advisory Council at Children’s Mercy Kansas City and serves on the medical advisory board of the Food Equality Initiative, Kansas City.

Dr. Polk declares no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Food Allergy

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Polk, B.I., Dinakar, C. Patient-Centered Outcomes in Food Allergy. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 17, 39 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-017-0708-z

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