The ten minute consultation: Food allergy
BMJ 2003; 326 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.030211 (Published 01 February 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:030211
- Samantha Walker, head of research1,
- Aziz Sheikh, NHS R&D national primary care training fellow2
- 1National Respiratory Training Centre, Warwick CV34 4AB
- 2Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London W6 8R
A newly qualified teacher requests investigations for possible food allergies. She has been troubled with symptoms of tiredness, nausea, bloating, and intermittent diarrhoea. Bread and chocolate have been identified as possible triggers, and reducing intake of these foods has resulted in some improvement of symptoms. General physical examination is unremarkable.
What issues you should cover
What does she mean by “food allergy”? Patients often use food allergy as a generic term that encompasses a broad range of symptoms triggered by certain foods. In contrast, clinicians reserve the term for immunologically mediated abnormal reactions to foods. Although about a fifth of the general population believe they have a food allergy, less than 1% of reactions …
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