Introduction
An oral food challenge (OFC) is an in-office procedure in which a food is eaten at certain intervals with increased doses under close medical supervision. In many cases, allergy skin and/or blood tests cannot conclusively determine whether a person is truly allergic to a particular food. The OFC is the gold standard food allergy test that will give a definitive answer.
Benefits
Preparation for an OFC
There are several things that you’ll need to do to be prepared for your oral food challenge. You should be off most antihistamines for at least a week. Other medications, including asthma medications, can be continued. In most cases, you will be asked to provide the food. If you are coming in for a peanut challenge, we suggest that you bring creamy peanut butter. If you are coming in for a baked egg, and/or baked milk muffin challenge, you should have been provided with appropriate baked milk muffin, and/or baked egg muffin recipes. Your allergist will make sure that any comorbid conditions such as atopic dermatitis and asthma are well-controlled before proceeding with the challenge. Please do not eat a full meal before coming for the challenge and refrain from eating other foods during the challenge unless approved by your allergist. It would also be helpful to bring in some type of entertainment, such as toys, books, electronics, etc. The challenge may last for 2-3 hours.
