Tag Archive for: food allergy treatment

common food allergens

Psychotherapeutic treatment for psychosocial concerns related to food allergy

common food allergens

Pediatric food allergy is a growing public health concern, with 8 percent of children in the United States affected. Although new treatments for food allergies are being developed, the vast majority of cases are currently managed by daily evaluation of food safety and vigilance for accidental allergen exposure and allergic reactions. This often impacts patients’ and caregivers’ quality of life and overall psychosocial functioning.

In a recent article published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, Linda Herbert, Ph.D., and Audrey DunnGalvin, Ph.D., provide a review of mental health concerns related to food allergy. The authors present two cases in which patients received psychological services for food allergy-related anxiety. For both cases, treatment resulted in decreased anxiety and improved food allergy management/oral immunotherapy treatment engagement.

The authors also discuss unmet food allergy-related psychosocial needs, including the lack of food allergy-specific anxiety measures, psychosocial domains that warrant investigation, development of supportive interventions for patients engaging in allergen immunotherapy and the lack of adequate mental health providers with food allergy expertise.

Read the full article in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

foods that cause allergies

Patients’ perspectives and needs on novel food allergy treatments

foods that cause allergies

Food allergy is a major public health concern in many countries around the world. In the United States, studies suggest that it affects up to 8% of children and 10% of adults and is responsible for an emergency room admission every three minutes. Historically, the only treatment for food allergy has been complete allergen avoidance combined with rescue medications when accidental exposures occur. Fortunately, advances in food allergy research over the past decade have yielded new treatments, but with these new treatments come new stressors.

In a recent study published in the journal Current Treatment Options in Allergy, Linda Herbert, Ph.D., and colleagues provide an overview of the current state of the literature regarding patients’ and caregivers’ food allergy experiences and needs within the United States. The authors also put forth a set of recommendations regarding how best to proceed with patient-centered development and evaluation of new food allergy treatments.

Read the full study in Current Treatment Options in Allergy.