Food allergy and animal proteins

The food allergy corresponds to the entirety of clinical symptoms, according to an immunological response against food allergen, most often IgE-mediated. The incidence of food allergy is on the increase in industrialized societies; some reasons suggested are the consumption of diversified foods and the evolution of food technology. The diagnosis of food allergy rests upon the knowledge of principal clinical syndromes, the relative frequency of allergens depending on age, habitual food consumption and the standard methods of diagnosis; however, the imperfect knowledge of allergens present in many foods and their modification by food processing make the food allergy the most complex to diagnose. (C) 2002 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.