Food Allergies & GI

Conditions We Treat

We evaluate and manage the complete range of adverse food reactions:

• IgE-mediated food allergy — immediate reactions to milk, egg, wheat, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish
• Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) — severe vomiting and diarrhoea, often in infants
• Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) — tingling or itching in mouth after eating raw fresh produce
• Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis
• Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE) — co-managed with gastroenterologists
• Non-IgE food intolerance (lactose, fructose, gluten sensitivity)

Diagnostic Pathway

Identifying the offending food accurately prevents unnecessary dietary restrictions:

• Comprehensive dietary and symptom history
• Skin Prick Testing with standardised food allergen extracts
• Specific IgE (sIgE) and component testing (e.g. Ara h 2 for peanut, Cor a 14 for hazelnut)
• Supervised Oral Food Challenge (OFC) — the gold standard for diagnosis and treatment monitoring
• Endoscopy and biopsy for suspected EoE (in collaboration with gastroenterology)

Management & Treatment

Our goal is safe dietary freedom — not lifelong avoidance wherever possible:

• Personalised elimination diets with nutritional guidance to prevent deficiencies
• Emergency action plans and self-injectable adrenaline (EpiPen) training
• Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) for selected allergens under strict supervised protocols
• Label reading education and restaurant / travel safety strategies
• FPIES-specific protocols including hypoallergenic formula guidance for infants
• Scheduled challenges to reassess tolerance as children grow

Special Focus: Paediatric Food Allergy

Children are disproportionately affected by food allergy — cow's milk and egg allergy alone affect up to 2-3% of Indian infants. Dr. Zala runs dedicated paediatric food allergy clinics with age-appropriate challenge protocols and family counselling to ensure both safety and quality of life for every child.