News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   RSS Icon Subscribe | Receive news releases by e-mail

FAAN Endorses Food Allergy Guidelines for Clinicians

Guidelines Create a Consistent and Uniform Way for Doctors to Manage Food Allergies

FAIRFAX, Va. (Dec. 6, 2010) – Today the “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States” were published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Since the inception of the idea to create such guidelines, FAAN (the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) has been at the forefront, advocating for their development. And by a unanimous vote of its Medical Advisory Board, FAAN endorses the guidelines.

The guidelines aim to be a resource for all those treating patients with food allergies, by:

1.     Providing common terminology for food allergy to be used by general practitioners, pediatricians, and allergists

2.     Establishing best practices for the diagnosis and treatment of food allergies

3.     Presenting food allergies as a serious medical condition, not to be taken lightly

The guidelines were written over the past two years by an expert panel, which included several members of FAAN’s Medical Advisory Board. In addition, the guidelines were reviewed and vetted by a coordinating committee, of which FAAN’s CEO Julia Bradsher was a member. Even the general public was given a voice about the guidelines during a public comment period last spring.

“It is a great day for people with food allergies as this important project comes to fruition,” said Julia Bradsher, CEO of FAAN. “I’m particularly glad the seriousness of food allergies is conveyed in the guidelines. Awareness of food allergies is an important part of FAAN’s mission, and we work tirelessly to educate the public about the seriousness of this condition.”

A copy of the executive summary may be found at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease’s (NIAID) website. While this summary is very technical in nature, there are plans in the coming year to release a patient-friendly synopsis of these guidelines to help individuals with food allergies, as well as their families and caretakers, manage food allergies along with the guidance of their doctors.

“These guidelines provide physicians and health care providers with the latest evidence-based information on diagnosing and treating food allergies,” said Hugh Sampson, M.D., Medical Director of FAAN’s Medical Advisory Board. “Specific recommendations are provided for diagnosing, managing and monitoring patients with food allergies. The guidelines should raise the standard of care for all allergy patients.”

“This is a true milestone in improving care for people with food allergies,” said Scott Sicherer, M.D., a member of FAAN's Medical Advisory Board. “Physicians now have comprehensive, current, evidence-based recommendations on which to base individual decisions on diagnosis and care. The guidelines also identify areas of continued research needs to further improve diagnosis and treatment.”

The development of these guidelines is a very important step to protect the lives of those with food allergies. Food allergy-related conditions such as food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS), and atopic dermatitis are also addressed in the guidelines.

About FAAN

Founded in 1991, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information, resources, and programs for food allergy, a potentially life-threatening medical condition that afflicts as many as 15 million Americans, including almost 6 million children. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by it. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. On May 9, 2012, FAAN announced its intent to merge with the other leading food allergy organization, the Food Allergy Initiative, pending state regulatory approval. To become a member or for more information, please visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org.

Media Contact

Nancy Gregory
Media Relations
(703) 563-3066
E-mail: ngregory@foodallergy.org