Information for the public
About this information
NICE clinical guidelines advise the NHS on caring for people with specific conditions or diseases and the treatments they should receive. The information applies to people using the NHS in England and Wales.
This information explains the advice about testing for food allergy in children and young people that is set out in NICE clinical guideline 116.
Does this information apply to me?
Yes, if you are the parent or carer of a child or young person (up to their 19th birthday) who has symptoms or signs that could suggest a food allergy.
The advice in the NICE guideline covers children and young people who are at greater risk of developing a food allergy. For example, they may already have another condition linked with allergies such as asthma, atopic eczema (an allergy-related type of eczema that tends to run in families) or allergic rhinitis (a type of allergy that includes hay fever). Alternatively, they may have a parent, brother or sister with a food allergy or allergy-related condition.
It does not specifically look at children and young people who have a reaction to a food that is not caused by the immune system (for example, an intolerance to lactose, the main sugar found in dairy products).