An official website of the United States government.
Good clinical history is essential for the definitive diagnosis and effective management of food allergy. The FSA Allergen Database Service will collect detailed clinical and laboratory data from patients attending a local allergy clinic with suspected nut allergy over a number of years. Analysis of this information should help to improve clinical management of food allergy.
The FSA Nut Allergy database is collecting clinical and laboratory information on every patient referred to an allergy clinic in Manchester in the past 11 years (N=1307). Clinical information includes past medical history, medication and details of allergic reactions experienced. The suspected allergen, timing, severity, symptoms and medical response to each reaction (n=3,946) are recorded in the database. This is complemented by the inclusion of Skin Prick Test results (n=12,760) and IgE measurements (27,527) to aid in the diagnosis of allergy.
<p>
Detailed interrogation has and will highlight shortfalls in the diagnostics, management and general understanding of nut allergy.
<P>
Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.