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The diagnosis of food allergy: protocol for a systematic review.

ABSTRACT: The literature on diagnostic tests for food allergy currently lacks clear consensus regarding the accuracy and safety of different investigative approaches. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is in the process of developing its Guideline for Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis, and this systematic review is one of seven inter-linked evidence syntheses that are being undertaken in order to provide a state-of-the-art synopsis of the current evidence base in relation to epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis and clinical management, and impact on quality of life, which will be used to inform the formulation of clinical recommendations. The aim of this systematic review will be to assess the diagnostic accuracy of tests aimed at supporting the clinical diagnosis of IgE-mediated food allergy.The following databases from inception to September 30, 2012 will be searched for studies of diagnostic tests: Cochrane Library (Wiley&Sons); MEDLINE (OVID); Embase (OVID); CINAHL (Ebscohost); ISI Web of Science (Thomson Web of Knowledge); TRIP Database (web http://www.tripdatabase.com); and Clinicaltrials.gov (NIH web). These database searches will be supplemented by contacting an international panel of experts. Studies evaluating APT, SPT, specific-IgE, and component specific-IgE in participants of any age with suspected food allergy will be included. The reference standard will be DBPCFC in at least 50% of the participants. Studies will be quality assessed by using the QUADAS-2 instrument. We will report summary statistics such as sensitivity, specificity, and/or likelihood ratios. We will use the hierarchical summary ROC (HSROC) model to summarize the accuracy of each test and to compare the accuracy of two or more tests.Decisions on which tests to use need to be guided by availability of tests, populations being cared for, risks, financial considerations and test properties. This review will examine papers from around the world, covering children and adults with suspected food allergy in varying populations and concentrated on four type of tests: APT, SPT, specific-IgEs, and component specific-IgEs.

SUBMITTER: Soares-Weiser K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3679851 | biostudies-other | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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The diagnosis of food allergy: protocol for a systematic review.

Soares-Weiser Karla K Panesar Sukhmeet S SS Rader Tamara T Takwoingi Yemisi Y Werfel Thomas T Muraro Antonella A Hoffmann-Sommergruber Karin K Roberts Graham G Sheikh Aziz A

Clinical and translational allergy 20130607 1

<h4>Background</h4>The literature on diagnostic tests for food allergy currently lacks clear consensus regarding the accuracy and safety of different investigative approaches. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is in the process of developing its Guideline for Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis, and this systematic review is one of seven inter-linked evidence syntheses that are being undertaken in order to provide a state-of-the-art synopsis of the current evidence base in relatio ...[more]

PMID: 23742215

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Project description:BackgroundAllergic reactions to plant and animal derived food allergens can have serious consequences for sufferers and their families. The associated social, emotional and financial costs make it a priority to understand the best ways of managing such immune-mediated hypersensitivity responses. Conceptually, there are two main approaches to managing food allergy: those targeting immediate symptoms and those aiming to support long-term management of the condition. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is developing guidelines about what constitutes an effective treatment for food allergies. As part of the guidelines development process, a systematic review is planned to examine published research about the management of food allergy in adults and children.MethodsSeven bibliographic databases were searched from their inception to September 30, 2012 for systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before-and-after studies and interrupted time series. Experts were consulted for additional studies. There were no language or geographic restrictions. Studies were critically appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program and Cochrane EPOC Risk of Bias tools. Only studies where people had a diagnosis of food allergy or reported a history of food allergy were included. This means that many studies of conditions that may be caused by food allergy are omitted, because only research in people with an explicit diagnosis or history was eligible.DiscussionMany initiatives have been tested to treat the immediate symptoms of food allergy (acute management) and to deal with longer lasting symptoms or induce tolerability to potential allergens (long-term management). The best management strategies for people with food allergy are likely to depend on the type of allergy, symptom manifestations and age. There is a real need to increase the amount of high quality research devoted to treatment strategies for food allergy. Food allergy can be debilitating and is affecting an increasing number of children and adults. With such little known about how to effectively manage the condition and its manifestations, this appears a priority for future research.

Project description:IntroductionStudies suggest that the prevalence of food allergy may be increasing worldwide. Results regarding the prevalence and features of adverse food reactions older people have, however, scarcely been analysed in the literature. Thus, the objective of the present systematic review will be to describe the prevalence of food allergy in older individuals, its risk factors, clinical features, as well as the most frequently and commonly involved foods.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the incidence, prevalence and risk factors for food allergy in older individuals. We will search international electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, AMED and ISI Web of Science for published, unpublished and ongoing studies from 1980 toJanuary 2019. There will be no restriction on the language or geography of publication. We will use the critical appraisal skills programme quality assessment tool to appraise the methodological quality of included studies. A descriptive summary with data tables will be elaborated, and if deemed clinically relevant and statistically adequate, meta-analysis using random-effects modelling will be carried out, given the expected clinical, methodological and statistical heterogeneity of studies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist will guide reporting of the systematic review.Ethics and disseminationSince this systematic review will be solely based on published and retrievable literature, no ethics approval will be obtained. This study will allow us to draw up-to-date estimates of the prevalence of adverse food reactions in older individuals, worldwide, besides allowing the identification of its major risk factors, clinical manifestations and predominant foods responsible for such reactions. A multidisciplinary team has been assembled for this systematic review and will participate in relevant dissemination activities, namely reports, publications and presentations.Prospero registration numberCRD42018102140.

Project description:Food allergy is a significant issue worldwide, particularly in Westernised countries. There is no clear explanation why food allergy appears to have increased so rapidly in recent years, particularly in young children, hence ongoing research to identify effective primary prevention strategies. Food allergy prevention guidelines for health professionals have been developed based on existing clinical trial evidence for effective translation and implementation. As these guidelines underpin clinical practice, it is important to ensure robust processes of development. We conducted a systematic review to identify food allergy prevention guidelines for health professional use; to compare the recommendations made by the identified guideline documents; and to assess the quality of the identified guideline documents. We searched Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Global Health and Guidelines International Network for the period 1990 to 13 August 2019, to identify articles referring to English-language food allergy prevention guidelines or the guidelines themselves. A grey literature search of Google Scholar and reference checking was also undertaken. The guidelines were compared for recommendation similarities and differences. An Appraisal Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) appraisal was undertaken to assess guideline quality. The electronic database search yielded 1121 publications and reference checking identified an additional 16 publications. After title, abstract and full text screening, data extraction was undertaken on 156 publications and with additional reference checking, 28 food allergy prevention guidelines and advice documents were identified. Comparison of the recommendations within the guidelines and advice documents indicated the greatest variation in recommendations related to exclusive breastfeeding and timing of solid food introduction. Eight of the 10 guidelines and none of the 18 advice documents met the quality threshold set by the reviewers. Overall, documents specifically termed "guidelines" scored better than advice documents when assessed using the AGREE II tool. Variation in recommendations may create confusion for health professionals and result in inconsistent advice being provided to parents, and less translation of the evidence into actual food allergy reduction in the population. Appraisal using the AGREE II tool identified that there is considerable room for improvement in the development of guidelines and advice documents for food allergy prevention. The AGREE II appraisal identified common areas of poorer quality development and/or documentation of processes to inform future guideline development. Based on this study, we recommend the use of validated guideline development tools, to direct food allergy prevention guideline review or development. Use of the AGREE II tool, to direct the review and development of guidelines, is very likely to improve guideline quality.

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The diagnosis of food allergy: protocol for a systematic review.

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The diagnosis of food allergy: protocol for a systematic review.

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