Commentary on Japanese Pediatric Guideline for Food Allergy 2016 Chapter 6 Diagnosis and Examination

Abstract

 The “Diagnosis and Examination” chapter in the Japanese guidelines for food allergy 2017 covers history taking and immunological examinations for food allergy diagnosis. Major updates in the 2017 version includes key aspects in medical examination by interview, various methods for allergen-specific IgE antibody detection, utility of probability curves and allergen component-specific IgE. In history taking, age-dependent symptoms should be considered, especially, a special attention is necessary for breast-fed infants. For specific IgE assays, first new advancements of assay methods are described then their utilities in detail are explained. In interpreting of a probability curve, one should consider age of a patient and amount and cooking style of challenge food. Measurement of the allergen component-specific IgE antibody confers higher diagnostic accuracy. Effective use of diagnostic tests will facilitate correct diagnosis and right management of food allergy.