An allergy focused history (AFH) is taken to determine whether an infant or child who presents with symptoms of is likely to have food allergy and contains the following types of questions:

  1. Family history of atopic conditions like asthma , eczema, hayfever in parents and siblings
  2. Individual history of atopy in infancy with eczema in the first 3 months being particularly relevant
  3. Growth and feeding history using a centile chart as a timeline to understand how feeding changes/patterns influence the development/progression of symptoms
  4. Current signs and symptoms, focusing on the skin, gut and respiratory systems
  5. Details of previous and current management of condition, including medications or changes in diet

An allergy focused dietary assessment is the next step, in which food specific questions are used to determine the type of adverse reactions occurring and which foods are implicated:

  1. Diet history from birth; breast or bottle feeding; weaning and adaption to family foods
  2. The amount of food required to produce a reaction
  3. Timing of reaction to suspected food to determine the likelihood IgE or non IgE reactions
  4. Overall exposure of the suspected food over time
  5. Assessment of the severity of the reactions – either mild, moderate or severe
  6. Consider relevance of allergy test or referral to specialist services for further clarification