Food Allergy Testing & Treatment

Why choose UCLA Health for food allergy care?

At UCLA Health, 我们为食物过敏患者提供改变生活的食物过敏治疗和全面的支持. Highlights of our program include:

Continuum of care for children and adults: UCLA Health experts treat babies, children and adults with food allergies. About 32 million people in the U.S. have food allergies, and more than 10% of them are adults. Our patients range in age from newborns to older adults. 我们根据每位患者的具体需求、健康状况和生活方式定制每个治疗方案.

Nationally recognized expertise: UCLA Health has been recognized as a Center of Excellence by Food Allergy, Research & Education (FARE) since 2015. As a member of the FARE Clinical Care Network, UCLA Health collaborates with research centers across the country. Together, we ensure that our patients have access to state-of-the-art diagnostics, food allergy treatment, and research.

Expert food allergy testing: UCLA Health offers diagnostic food challenges to people of all ages. 食物挑战是一种在安全环境下提供明确的食物过敏诊断的诊断测试. 我们是全国为数不多的为婴儿和幼儿提供这项测试的医疗中心之一. 如果发生过敏反应，我们的高技能团队可以迅速做出有效的治疗.

Support and resources: 我们的团队了解父母和孩子在处理食物过敏时可能面临的挑战. 这就是为什么我们创建了皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康伙伴计划，将有着相似经历的家庭联系起来. 我们还提供皇冠hga020电脑版项目、食物过敏支持小组和信息会议. You’ll have support, guidance and a wide range of services available to you.

Leading-edge treatments: 皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康中心是世界上为数不多的将口服免疫疗法作为临床治疗的项目之一, not just as research. 这种治疗逐渐增加了一个人对通常会引起过敏反应的食物的耐受性. 我们无与伦比的专业知识使我们能够安全成功地提供这些治疗.

Clinical trials and research: As leaders in allergy and immunology, 我们走在研究的前沿，探索食物过敏的治疗方法. We work with specialists across UCLA Health to advance research, share promising clinical trials and develop leading-edge treatments.

Our areas of care

皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校的健康专家为患有食物过敏的儿童和成人提供全方位的护理. 从评估、治疗到全面支持，我们的每一步都在您身边. Our services include:

Accurate diagnoses

我们的专家擅长提供精确的诊断，使您能够接受最有效的治疗. We evaluate known or suspected food allergies using:

Blood tests that check for an allergic response to specific foods
Complete medical history, including any family history of allergies
有关饮食、营养、饮食习惯和食用某些食物后出现的症状的信息
Physical examination

To diagnose food allergies, our team also offers skin prick tests. 我们在皮肤上放一点点过敏原(一种可能引起过敏反应的食物), usually on your arm or back. 我们轻轻划伤或“刺痛”皮肤，以便少量过敏原可以进入皮肤表面下. 在20到30分钟内，我们检查反应的迹象，通常是皮肤上凸起的肿块.

你的医生也可能会建议你戴一个含有一些过敏原的皮肤贴片约48小时. You return to our office so your doctor can check your skin for a reaction.

Food challenge to diagnose food allergy

皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康中心是世界上仅有的能够对幼儿进行食物挑战的医疗中心之一. A food challenge is a diagnostic test. 在给你的孩子少量的某种食物后，我们观察反应的迹象. We gradually increase the amount of food over several hours. 我们经验丰富的团队监测您的孩子过敏反应的迹象，并提供及时的治疗，如果发生反应.

我们训练有素的团队使用食物挑战来衡量您的孩子在安全环境中对某些食物的耐受性. We also use this test to determine if a child has outgrown an allergy. Using the results of a food challenge, our team can deliver an accurate diagnosis and more effective treatments.

Customized treatments

皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康过敏症专家为您或您的孩子量身定制每一种食物过敏治疗. Using medications, nutritional guidance and support, we work closely with you to develop a treatment plan. We specialize in oral immunotherapy, a new treatment that gradually increases the body’s tolerance to allergens.

Support, guidance and resources

我们富有同情心的团队与您的家人合作，为您提供一系列支持服务. We are passionate about helping children with food allergies thrive. That’s why we created the UCLA Health Buddy Program, which connects families dealing with food allergies. Through this program, families share their experiences and advice, learn from each other and gain support and encouragement.

UCLA Health food allergy experts also offer webinars, information sessions and community outreach programs. We guide parents through school-age issues, including establishing an allergy action plan for caregivers and teachers. You also receive customized nutrition plans from registered dietitians.

What is a food allergy?

当你身体的免疫系统对某种食物中的蛋白质发起攻击时，就会发生食物过敏. The immune system mistakenly treats the protein as a dangerous substance, even though it isn’t harmful to most people. The most common allergy-causing foods are:

Eggs
Milk
Peanuts and tree nuts
Sesame (or tahini)
Shellfish
Soy
Wheat

Allergic reactions can range from mild to severe. They can even be fatal. Symptoms of an allergic reaction usually appear within two hours of eating, although they can sometimes take longer to develop. In severe cases, food allergies can cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that requires immediate medical attention. Food allergy symptoms include:

Difficulty breathing or trouble swallowing
Dizziness or fainting
Feeling of dread or impending doom
Gastrointestinal (GI) issues such as diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramping
Skin rash, hives, itching, redness or irritation
Swollen tongue, throat, lips or eyelids

In addition to immediate reactions, 食物过敏还会导致慢性(长期)消化问题和皮肤问题. 有些人会因为过敏反应而经历慢性湿疹(皮肤干燥、发痒).

Treatments we offer

皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康中心的过敏专家与您密切合作，制定适合您生活的定制治疗计划. Our goal is to educate and empower you. 我们专注于帮助您或您的孩子过上快乐，健康的生活，同时控制食物过敏. Treatments include:

Avoidance and medications

The cornerstone of food allergy treatment is avoiding foods that cause reactions. As a team, we help you and your child establish routines to avoid allergens. 我们与您一起制定食物过敏治疗计划，以使用紧急药物快速治疗意外暴露. These medications include antihistamines and an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen®), which can stop severe allergic reactions.

Nutritional support

To help you maximize nutrition while avoiding certain foods, we provide individualized dietary guidance. 皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康注册营养师有丰富的经验，帮助所有年龄段的人管理食物过敏，同时享受正餐和零食. You receive helpful guidance about:

Ordering from restaurants
Preventing deficiencies in vitamins and nutrients when avoiding certain foods
阅读标签以识别过敏原(即使它们可能以不同的名称列出)
Replacing certain foods with “safe” ingredients when cooking or baking

Epicutaneous immunotherapy

这种治疗方法包括在皮肤上放置少量过敏原，并在几周或几个月内增加剂量. For example, 对花生过敏的儿童可以在皮肤上涂抹含有花生蛋白的贴片. When it meets the child’s sweat, the protein dissolves into the skin. Over time, this exposure helps the immune system build up a tolerance to peanuts.

Oral immunotherapy

作为唯一提供口服免疫治疗作为临床实践的医疗中心之一, UCLA Health specialists lead the nation in this safe and effective treatment. In our office, 我们给你或你的孩子小剂量的食物，并在几周或几个月内增加它们. If an allergic reaction occurs, our team is ready to respond immediately.

Over time, 反复接触会增强你身体对之前引起过敏反应的食物的耐受性. Your immune system becomes desensitized. While oral immunotherapy isn’t a cure for food allergy, it can help you avoid a life-threatening allergic reaction in the future. 这种治疗方法还可以让你自由地享受饮食，而不用担心意外暴露.

Meet our team

Our team of board-certified allergists have experience caring for babies, children and adults with all types of food allergies. 我们与皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康注册营养师密切合作，为您和您的家人提供全面的护理和支持.