Our recent article covering a study of oral food challenges (OFCs) generated much discussion, as it found that 14% of OFCs resulted in reactions, 2% of which were severe (resulting in anaphylaxis.)
Flipping that number around, the oral food challenges cited in the study determined 86% of the time that the patients undergoing the test were not (or were no longer) allergic to the foods they were tested for, meaning they had outgrown their allergies or were never truly allergic in the first place.
This morning, National Public Radio (NPR) aired a report by Michelle Kondrich from “The Salt” based on the same study (“Multicenter prevalence of anaphylaxis in clinic-based oral food challenges” published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.)
Regardless of where you stand on the practice of OFCs, the report is well worth a few minutes of your time. Listen here:
Needless to say, oral food challenges should only be conducted under the supervision of an allergist in their office and should never be attempted at home.
