Recommendations for the prescription and interpretation of laboratory tests that can be used in the diagnosis or monitoring of allergies, available in France. Part 3: Food allergy

Allergy laboratory tests provide an important contribution to the diagnosis and monitoring of food allergies. The increase in the prevalence of food allergies in the French population during the last decades and the increasingly frequent use of biological diagnosis requires the optimization of the use of this tool. Its rational use according to updated scientific data and an approach favoring the cost/benefit ratio can guarantee diagnostic efficiency. The misuse of allergy biology and/or its misinterpretation may lead to inappropriate or even dangerous therapeutic attitudes. Aware of this issue, the French Society of Allergology (SFA) has set up a multidisciplinary task force to update allergy biology recommendations, the previous recommendations drawn up in 2005 by the High Authority for Health (HAS) having become partly obsolete due to the evolution of techniques and concepts. The methodology used is that of the recommendations for clinical practice (RPC) developed by the HAS, even if the text has not been labeled by that institution. The working group drafted 28 graded recommendations for the management of food allergy. Although not exhaustive, these 28 questions respond to the most common concerns of prescribers whether or not they are allergists for the care of known or suspected food allergies, while taking into account the French regulatory context. (C) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.