Primary Care Perspectives: Of Fresh Fruit and Fuzzy Mouths: Managing Oral Allergy Syndrome in the Primary Care Setting - Episode 127

Primary Care Perspectives: Podcast for Pediatricians

How can a primary care physician be sure their patient’s oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is not another type of allergy that may require more aggressive management? Katie Kennedy, MD, attending physician, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses: how to get a history to distinguish between OAS and IgE-mediated food allergies and seasonal/environmental allergies; the importance of pollen patterns in your region and a review of cross-reactive foods; why kids with OAS react differently to raw and cooked food (raw apples vs. apple pie); whether to recommend antihistamines; differentiating between contact rashes (such as from strawberries and tomatoes) and OAS; how to evaluate whether the child may be at risk for systemic reaction (and should carry epinephrine); can a child outgrow OAS; when to refer to a pediatric allergist, plus a review of the treatments the allergist might suggest; and more.