A University of Queensland project aims to make the teenage years safer for Australian children diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies. Associate Professor Jennifer Koplin from UQ's Child Health Research Centre said a recent study found almost half of 10–14-year-olds with a food allergy had had an allergic reaction in the previous year and 1 in 10 of them experienced anaphylaxis. "Many Australian children have food allergies and as they grow, they're at the highest risk of having a life-threatening allergic reaction in their teenage years ," Dr Koplin said.
"Much less is known about food allergy in this age group compared to in younger children. "There are currently no guidelines for managing food allergies during the time when adolescents are given more freedom to navigate social and other activities on their own. "These patients are also growing out of pediatric medical care and may even be growing out of their allergy without knowing it.
" Dr Koplin and Associate Professor Jane Peake from the Queensland Children's Hospital will lead a research team which h as been awarded almost $1.2 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council to trial improved testing and treatment options for adolescents with food allergies. "With support of this funding, we will work with adolescents to find out more about how food allergy affects them in their day-to-day lives and test their food tolerances in a safe setting," Dr Koplin said.
Participating patients will be of.