Food allergy-a potentially life-threatening condition with no known cure-affects nearly 15 million people in the United States, including 1 in 13 children. Although much has been learned about food allergy management and treatment, there are still many unanswered questions. To address these gaps in knowledge, research and data, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) announces its co-sponsorship of a new Institute of Medicine (IOM) consensus study on food allergy.
The study, ‘Food Allergies: Global Burden, Causes, Treatment, Prevention and Public Policy, will engage a broad array of stakeholders, including government agencies, academic institutions, industries, policy makers, and patient organization groups in addition to bringing together leading investigators from relevant fields, clinicians, and parents to review issues surrounding food allergy. These issues include the prevalence, severity, and impact of food allergy, as well as the current understanding of food allergy in diagnostics, treatments, prevention and public policy.
‘We know how important research is to the food allergy community, says Lynda Mitchell, AAFA’s Senior Vice President of Community Services, and founder of Kids With Food Allergies (KFA), a division of AAFA. ‘The Institute of Medicine is a highly respected national adviser of issues related to medicine and health. This is an important study for the food allergy community. AAFA is honored to be involved to represent the patients we serve.
This study will create a framework for raising public awareness about food allergy and make recommendations on the future direction of food allergy research. AAFA’s participation and involvement in this IOM project further signifies AAFA’s commitment to serve individuals, families, and communities affected by the disease.
The committee’s first meeting will be held on June 22, and AAFA’s Senior Vice President of Advocacy, Policy and Research, Meryl Bloomrosen, will be presenting to the committee. A final report is expected to be issued in approximately 16 months.
For more information about AAFA or food allergy, visitwww.aafa.org.
posted by Andrea Gonzalez 6/23/15
