Diagnosing Food Allergies in Infants and Children

Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD, reviews the diagnosis of food allergies and the role of the primary care clinician within the process. Dr. Spergel discusses the importance of a clinical history and physical exam; diagnostic strategies for IgE-mediated food allergies, including skin prick tests, serum IgE testing, and food challenges; strategies and indications for referral to an allergist; unproven or disproven food allergy tests; and future diagnostic tools.

This activity is part of our food allergy collection: Understanding Food Allergies in Infants and Children: The Symptoms, Diagnoses, and Management

You may also be interested in Answers to Commonly Asked Allergy Questions, Videos for Parents and Caregivers.

This material was originally presented to a live internet audience on 9-Jul-2019. It was reviewed for rerelease on 2-Aug-2021.

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  Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD

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  Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD, is chief of the allergy section and the Stuart E. Starr Chair of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of pediatrics at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Spergel received his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and a fellowship in allergy and immunology at Children’s Hospital in Boston. He received his doctorate in biomedical sciences from Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

  Dr. Spergel’s clinical and research expertise is in the diagnosis and management of pediatric allergies including atopic dermatitis, food allergies, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and eosinophilic esophagitis. His research has been funded by both the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies, as well as several private sector organizations.

  Dr. Spergel and his team were recently honored with a Life Sciences Pennsylvania Patient Impact Award. The annual award recognizes “a significant contribution to the quality of healthcare or length of life of patients.” Their studies revealed that, contrary to existing knowledge, eosinophilic esophagitis is not a lifelong condition. The researchers also found that by applying a skin patch with trace amounts of milk protein they were able to slowly desensitize a patient’s allergic reaction. This research is expected to assist in the development of more effective management of eosinophilic esophagitis.

  A sought-after lecturer both nationally and internationally, Dr. Spergel is the author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. He is associate editor for Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, serves on several editorial boards, and as an ad hoc reviewer for a number of prestigious medical journals including The Journal of the American Medical Association, The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet. 

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  Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD

  Professor of Pediatrics
  Chief, Allergy Section
  Stuart E. Starr Endowed Chair of Pediatrics
  Director of Center for Pediatric Eosinophilic Disease
  Director, FARE Center of Excellence
  The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
  Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania