Abstract
Food allergy is a serious public health problem with an increasing prevalence. Current management is limited to food avoidance and emergency treatment. Research into the pathogenesis of food allergy has helped to shape our understanding of how patients become sensitized to an allergen. Classically, food sensitization was thought to occur through the gastrointestinal tract, but alternative routes of sensitization are being explored, specifically through the skin. Damaged skin barrier may play a crucial role in the development of food sensitization. Better understanding of how patients initially become sensitized may help lead to the development of a safe and effective treatment for food allergies or better prevention strategies.
Highlights
Food allergy represents a serious public health problem, with recent studies showing an increased prevalence in both North America and the United Kingdom
This study demonstrates the potential of Epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) and hopefully increased focus on EPIT for other allergies will lead to more well-established convenient routes of desensitization in the future
Food allergy is a serious public health concern with the most established therapies limited to food avoidance and emergency treatment
Summary
Food allergy represents a serious public health problem, with recent studies showing an increased prevalence in both North America and the United Kingdom. An exact figure is difficult to obtain, current estimates show that food allergy affects approximately 6%–8% of young children and 3%–4% of adults in the United States [1]. Most individuals with food allergy are otherwise in good health; the unpredictable and episodic nature of acute and potentially life-threatening food-allergic reactions may lead to significant distress for affected children and their parents or caregivers [4,5]. Recent research has focused on modifying risk of developing food allergy through improved understanding of factors, such as timing and route of exposure that lead to allergic sensitization versus tolerance. Sensitization refers to the development of an immune state in which antigen exposure leads to an immune response with the potential for hypersensitivity with re-exposure. We review the mechanisms of allergic sensitization to foods and their implications for the future directions of food allergy prevention and treatment
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