The oral food desensitization in the Italian XXXX centres.

@entity1 @entity566 @entity5419 @entity565
BACKGROUND: Attempts aimed at inducing food tolerance through oral food desensitization (OFD) for the treatment of IgE-mediated @entity5419 are increasing. In Italy, a number of @entity566 centres offer this procedure. OBJECTIVE: To collect information on how these centres are organized, how @entity1 are selected, the methods used to administer OFD and how adverse reactions are managed. METHODS: A questionnaire was e-mailed to all the Italian @entity566 centres offering OFD. RESULTS: The survey shows a high degree of variability between centres. A correct diagnosis of @entity5419 is crucial for selecting @entity1 for OFD. In the Italian @entity566 centres, oral food challenges are mostly open label (84%), but in 16% of cases they are single-blind (8%) or double-blind (8%). A high proportion of @entity566 centres (83%) offer OFD to @entity1 presenting forms of anaphylaxis triggered by traces - or very low doses - of food allergen. The majority of @entity566 centres (76%) enroll @entity1 over 3 years of age, with 44% enrolling @entity1 above the age of 5. Not-controlled @entity565 , unreliability of parents in the management of OFD and/or risk of adverse events, are the main reasons for exclusion from the procedure. CONCLUSION: Although OFD may sometimes be successful and may be considered a valid alternative to an elimination diet, further randomized controlled trials are needed, in order to clarify some controversial points, such as the characteristics of the @entity1 undergoing OFD, and the methods of food preparation and administration. Moreover, further studies should further investigate OFD safety, efficacy and costs.
