Abstract
Non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal food allergy in neonates and infants increases rapidly since around 2000. Because food-specific IgE antibodies are not the center of pathogenic mechanism, diagnosis is not easy. Food challenge test is the only one test that provides a definitive diagnosis. Unlike IgE-mediated food allergy, the reaction starts several hours or days after the challenge. There are cases that require everyday challenge of the allergen for 3 weeks before the start of the response. To rescue hypotensive reaction, glucocorticoids are more effective than epinephrine. Allergen-specific lymphocyte proliferation test is the only test which provide in-vitro allergen-specifying method in the present condition. Since neither sensitivity nor specificity is high, it is necessary to identify responsible T cell subsets and to improve to more effective diagnostic test.
