Practice Consideration
What is the difference between an "exposure" and an oral food challenge?“
An "oral food challenge (OFC)" , is a medical procedure in which a food is eaten slowly, in gradually increasing amounts, under medical supervision, to accurately diagnose or rule out a true food allergy.
Boyce JA, Assa'ad A, Burks AW, et al. Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States: Summary of the NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel Report. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2010;126:1105-18.2. Sampson HA, Aceves S, Bock SA, et al. Food allergy: A practice parameter update-2014. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014.
Exposure” in the food allergy context can be through ingestion, skin contact, or exposure to airborne particles.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee on Food Allergies: Global Burden, Causes, Treatment, Prevention, and Public Policy; Oria MP, Stallings VA, editors. Finding a Path to Safety in Food Allergy: Assessment of the Global Burden, Causes, Prevention, Management, and Public Policy. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2016 Nov 30. 2, Definitions. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK435939/
Skin Prick Tests (SPT) or serum IE blood tests are supportive of diagnosis of food allergy, but clinical reaction is the gold standard for diagnosis.