A patient may have an allergy to almost any food. Foods that are often implicated include:
(1) milk and dairy products
(2) nuts
(3) eggs
(4) beef
(5) wheat
(6) fish or other seafood
(7) corn
(8) soy
Some patients may have an allergy to only 1 food, while others may have allergies to several and a few will have allergies to many foods.
Tasks:
(1) Reverse the esophagitis by give a diet free of all food allergens, typically an amino acid based formula.
(2) Identify the food(s) that the person is allergic to.
(3) Devise a diet that eliminates the implicated foods and yet provides all of the essential calories, vitamins and nutrients.
(4) Provide ongoing support and monitoring.
Allergies to foods may be identified by:
(1) RAST testing
(2) skin prick or patch testing
(3) repeated food challenge: Once the patient has reversed to normal for several weeks, one to four foods are reintroduced and the patient is monitored. If the patient is asymptomatic after several weeks, then the process is repeated with new foods added. If the patient becomes symptomatic then the causative food is identified and eliminated. This can take months to complete, requires the full cooperation of the patient, and may be expensive if endoscopy is used to diagnose relapse.
