Hypersensitivity to food. General principles and cutaneous manifestations.

Abstract

Adverse reactions to food are a topic well known even to the general public. The plethora of articles in newspapers and magazines on this subject bespeaks its importance.
About one fourth of American households modify their dietary habits (98) because at least one member is perceived to suffer from food hypersensitivity (FH).
Even if adverse reactions to food were recorded in the first century (19), the medical community has been reticent to acknowledge and investigate these disorders until the early part of the twentieth century. The rapid developments in the field of immunology and allergology since the 50’s, led to the current knowledge and diagnostic instruments.
A side effect of this process is the thriving of “non conventional” approaches to these disorders, which are not based upon scientifically validated principles (87). Therefore, many patients are put on elimination diets without a firm and objective diagnosis which is mandatory to allow both relief from suffering and avoidance of unnecessary and potentially harmful dietary restrictions. (...)