Food allergy for the primary care physician

Interest in food allergy has increased among physicians as well as the public. The symptoms are mainly in the gastrointestinal tract, the skin, and the respiratory system. Other organs are less commonly affected. The offending food can be suspected from the medical history, by skin testing, or by serum-specific IgE antibodies (RAST). Verification, however, depends on documentation of disappearance of symptoms after avoidance of the offending food and their recurrence on reintroduction of that food. Treatment is mainly dietary avoidance. Its success, however, depends on many factors. Pharmacologic agents may be needed in some cases for symptomatic relief and possibly for prophylaxis. The awareness on the part of the primary physician of the manifestations of food allergy and its diagnosis should enhance the physician's expertise in dealing with such patients regarding further management.