Validation of the diagnostic accuracy of a new protocol for food challenge in children with suspected food allergy

Abstract

Introduction. Although controlled oral food challenge (FC) is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of food allergy (FA), the interpretation of this test is sometime difficult especially in the presence of subjective signs and there is no consensus regarding the optimal procedure to objectively interpret the results. We have recently developed a protocol to perform FC in children with suspected gastrointestinal symptoms related to FA. This procedure is based on an objective evaluation of gastrointestinal signs before and after FC, and also includes non-invasive tests to assess intestinal inflammation and permeability.