Food allergies affect approximately 3 million U.S. children, ages 0-18 years, causing sufferers to experience symptoms ranging from mild to potentially life-threatening after eating even a minute amount of a trigger food.

A food allergy is an exaggerated and inappropriate immunologic response to proteins found in a particular food. Eggs, cow's milk, peanuts, soy and wheat account for most children's food allergies. Other allergy-causing foods include tree nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds and cashews), fish and shellfish. For some children, just touching the food can cause a reaction. Presence of allergic antibodies against food does not always lead to an allergic reaction; therefore, both history of prior exposure, symptoms, and allergy testing have to used to establish the diagnosis of food allergy.

Allergies to milk, wheat, soy, and eggs (even peanut) often resolve by adulthood. One should note that blood and skin allergy testing may remain reactive indefinitely – even after the actual food allergy is "outgrown." Although allergy testing falls short in defining the tolerance, clinical food challenges offer an optimal and reliable way to rule out food allergy.

If you would like to find out whether your child has outgrown the food allergy, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital offers a Food Challenge Clinic to find the answer in a controlled and safe environment.

The four-hour food challenge allows for reintroduction of the food in a monitored clinical setting. A successful food challenge confirms that the child has outgrown his or her food allergy and the food can be safely reintroduced into his or her regular diet.

Who is a candidate for the test?

• Individuals whose allergy skin or blood tests indicate increased probability of tolerance for the food which precipitated allergic reaction in the past.
• Individuals who have positive allergy testing to certain foods, but have never been overtly exposed to the foods in question to know whether they are truly allergic.

What happens during the visit?

For the first two hours, food is introduced in small but gradually increasing quantities at 15- to 20-minute intervals. During the first two hours of the challenge, your child's vital signs are monitored by the nursing staff. The family primarily interacts with the nurse, but a physician is always accessible to evaluate and treat any adverse reactions. By the end of a successful challenge, your child has ingested an entire serving of the food.

Why should parents want to have their child tested?

Unnecessary food avoidance limits child's diet, raises everyone's anxiety about potential allergic reactions, and contributes to social stress/stigma. If the child is no longer allergic to the food – introduction of the food could be done in one "sitting" under the guidance of UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital's Food Challenge Clinic.