Rumah Hati

Food Allergies Overestimated by Public; Need Careful Confirmation Becky McCall Authors and Disclosures   December 15, 2010 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) — Food allergies are markedly overestimated by the general public. According to challenge-confirmed studies, the medically confirmed prevalence is far lower than what the public believes. Self-diagnosed allergies are claimed by 20% to 30% of the general public, whereas clinically confirmed cases have been identified in less than 6% of children and less than 2% in adults, food allergists reported here at the World Allergy Organization (WAO) 2010 International Scientific Conference. Sami Bahna, MD, chief of the Allergy and Immunology Section at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, and 2009/10 president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, led a session on the diagnosis and treatment of food allergy. "The public claim allergy for any adverse or undesirable reaction to food....