Study Finds Food Allergies Are Commonly Misdiagnosed

[Guest guest]

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misdiagnosed/

If you're one of the 12 million Americans who has been diagnosed with a food

allergy and have been lamenting the fact that you can't eat peanuts or have a

toddler who cries because he can't have ice cream due to a milk allergy, you

know how food allergies can impact not only your health but your quality of

life.

But a new study suggests that the alarming frequency of food allergies — 4

percent of adults have them — may reflect over-diagnosis.

" Many people who get a diagnosis of food allergy could instead have a food

intolerance, " says Dr. Matthew Fenton, chief of the Asthma, Allergy and

Inflammation Branch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious

Diseases. NIAID funded the newly released study on food allergy diagnoses by

RAND Corporation, Stanford University and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health

Care System, which appeared in the latest issue of the Journal of the American

Medical Association. The study, which reviewed more than 70 pre-existing studies

on food allergies, indicates there are no consistent definitions of what

constitutes a food allergy nor is there any uniformity for criteria in making

food allergy diagnoses.

Milk, eggs, peanuts and soy are the most commonly diagnosed food allergies and,

by default, are most likely to be misdiagnosed.

So why is this problematic?

Fenton says that often the treatment for food allergies and intolerances is the

same — avoiding the culprit food. But that's not always necessary, and he

worries that some patients misdiagnosed with a food allergy may be unknowingly

harming themselves.

" If a patient is misdiagnosed and put on a restricted diet, she could be subject

to nutritional deficiencies, " he says.

Fenton says one major issue is that a fair number of people with food

intolerance are being misdiagnosed. Whereas a food allergy involves an immune

system response, food intolerance does not. He explains that someone who has a

milk allergy must avoid dairy products in order to avoid immune system responses

that could lead to anything from a skin rash to a more severe reaction like

anaphylaxis, while someone with lactose intolerance does not necessarily have to

avoid milk. He can take a lactase pill and still enjoy the nutritional benefits

of dairy products.

" What we're recommending as a result of this study is creating comprehensive

food allergy diagnoses guidelines, " says Fenton.

The study's researchers, led by a team at Stanford University, concluded that

allergies afflict somewhere between 1 and 10 percent of the American population,

but said it's unclear whether allergies are actually on the rise.

Americans disagree: Thirty percent of us are convinced we have food allergies,

which can be accompanied by diverse, vague and confusing reactions. Anything

from nausea to a headache can indicate an allergic reaction.

They also zeroed in on the allergens thought to be responsible for most

reactions: eggs, milk, fish, and peanuts and tree nuts.

A milk allergy, which affects less than 1 percent of Americans, can trigger

fatal anaphylactic shock. Lactose intolerance, however, afflicts an estimated 75

percent of adults worldwide — but can be managed with avoidance and supplements.

Right now there is no industry standard, and misdiagnoses are common,

particularly for patients who don't have access or haven't been referred to an

allergist. In order to accurately diagnose a food allergy, Fenton says a doctor

must do three things:

1. Obtain a good patient history that includes a listing of patient symptoms and

the foods that seem to cause those symptoms.

2. Laboratory tests, both a skin-prick test and a blood test, to measure the

response of antibodies to a potential allergen.

3. An oral food challenge where the patient is given the potential allergen in

increasing doses to track allergic response This should only be done by an

experienced doctor at a facility where a severe allergic response could be

promptly treated.

Fenton advises patients to be proactive if they suspect a food allergy and to

ask their doctors if they have the expertise to tell the difference between an

allergy and an intolerance. Fenton also encourages patients to ask to see a

specialist.

 

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misdiagnosed

 

 

best wishes you and your healthy life style team

 

http://www.yu-ms.com

[Guest guest]

I read that article and the thing that jumped out at me:

 

"If a patient is misdiagnosed and put on a restricted diet, she could be subject to nutritional deficiencies," he says.Fenton says one major issue is that a fair number of people with food intolerance are being misdiagnosed.

 

Scuse me but if a patient is misdiagnosed and NOT put on a restrictive diet they can get terribly ill for consuming foods to which their entire body is intolerant......

 

The article did not mention that one!

 

Just my thoughts as I have been in that particular place myself.

 

Just me in T

 

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