Short summary

The purpose of the Allergy Database is to study the characteristics of children with food allergy or allergy to penicillin.

Rationale

In patients suspected of having a food allergy or allergy to peniciilin, sIgE is measured in the blood and skin prick tests are performed. However, the sensitivity and the specificity of these tests are too low to make a diagnosis. Therefore, a food allergy or penicillin diagnosis can only be made by a challenge. In children suspected of having food allergy, an oral food challenge (OFC) is performed.  In an OFC, the patient receives the suspected food in titrated doses at 30 minutes' intervals until objective clinical reactions are observed or all seven doses are tolerated. Often an allergic child will undergo numerous oral food challenges at regular intervals to investigate whether the food allergy has been outgrown. An oral food challenge is time-consuming and is always associated with a risk of inducing a severe allergic reaction.

In recent years, component resolved diagnostics have proven to be a promising diagnostic tool in food allergy. By measuring sIgE to individual allergenic molecules, the specificity of the blood work has improved considerably for certain foods. More and more food components are identified and the usefulness of the new diagnostic tools will be examined when the test results are compared with the results of the OFC´s.

In addition to validate the new diagnostic tools we need more information about which children that becomes allergic to food and penicillin and who will outgrow their allergy.

Description of the cohort

Children suspected of having allergy to a food or penicillin and who undergoes an oral food challenge or a penicillin challenge as part of the diagnostic work up.

Data and biological material

The following parameters will be registered in the database:

Age, gender, co-morbidities

The results of the challenge, the blood test and the skin prick tests

Collaborating researchers and departments

H C Andersen Children Hospital, Odense University Hospital

• Professor and Consultant Susanne Halken, MD, Professor