NHS Choices* and talkhealth** have teamed up with patient support charity Action Against Allergy and The Allergy Academy*** to present an ‘Online Clinic on Food Allergy’ this week (until 27 February).
The clinic will be hosted on www.talkhealthpartnership.com, with leading food allergy experts on hand throughout the whole of the week to answer your questions.
Food allergies are common, but they are not as widespread as many people think. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) report estimated that 5-8% of children and 1-2% of adults have a food allergy. Although a number of surveys have found that 20-30% of people believe they have a food allergy. It is thought that some people mistake their intolerance to certain types of food for a food allergy.
Any food can potentially cause an allergic reaction, but the most common foods to cause a reaction are eggs, milk, soya, wheat and peanuts in children and shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts and fish in adults.
If you have a question about food allergy or are unsure whether you might have a food allergy why not visit our clinic and ask an expert? Hope to ‘see’ you there!
*NHS Choices is the online ‘front door’ to the NHS. It is the UK’s biggest health website and gives information needed to make choices about health.
**talkhealth is a free web-based patient support and information service dedicated to people facing everyday life with chronic conditions.
***Allergy Academy is an initiative of King’s College London and was formed as a response to the shortcomings in Allergy education highlighted by the House of Lords report into UK Allergy Services.
Action Against Allergy provides information, advice and support to those made chronically ill through the many different forms of allergy and those who care for them. Campaigning for expert diagnosis and treatment to be available to all through the National Health Service. The ‘Find a Doctor’ service provides personalised advice on the nearest allergy specialist and there are information packs and leaflets covering the whole spectrum of allergy-related illness are available.
