Clinical Trial: Natural History and Genetics of Food Allergy and Related Conditions

Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Observational

Official Title: Natural History and Genetics of Food Allergy and Related Conditions

Brief Summary:

Background:

- About 15 million Americans have a food allergy. Because there are no cures or effective prevention or treatment for food allergies, researchers want to learn more about them.

Objective:

- To learn more about the causes and effects of food allergy and related conditions.

Eligibility:

  • People ages 2 99 who have food allergy and/or a related genetic or other condition
  • Their relatives
  • Healthy relatives and volunteers

Design:

  • Participants will have at least 3 visits over 1 2 years, and then once a year for up to 12 years. Each may last a day or longer.
  • Participants will be screened with medical history, physical exam, and questionnaires.
  • Participants may have the following:
  • Blood tests
  • Allergy skin prick tests: Drops of allergens are placed on the back or arm. The skin is scratched under each drop.
  • Leukapheresis: blood is taken from a needle in one arm, passed through a machine, and returned through a needle in the other arm.
  • X-rays
  • Esophageal string test: One end of a string is taped to the cheek and the other end is packed into a capsule. When the capsule is swallowed, the string unwinds; it is left in for at least 1 hour.
  • EGD and colonoscopy: Biopsies ar

    Detailed Summary:

    There are approximately 15 million Americans, including 6 million children, who have a potentially life-threatening food allergy. The prevalence of this disease has increased over the last three decades, in both the United States and other developed countries. There are no cures or effective prevention or treatment strategies for food allergy. Moreover, little is known about the factors that account for the rising prevalence and severity of these diseases in recent years. Both genetic and environmental factors likely contribute to the development of food allergy, but the complex interaction between these variables has frustrated efforts to elucidate pathogenesis and develop mechanism-targeted therapies. Children with food allergy are 2 to 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with asthma or other allergic conditions than children without food allergy, and food allergy may also be an important trigger for atopic dermatitis and eosinophilic esophagitis. The Laboratory of Allergic Diseases within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has a longstanding interest in the genetics and pathogenesis of allergic inflammatory disorders, and with the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, it provides the ideal environment for the proposed translational studies. In this study, we will: (1) investigate the key genetic, cellular, immunologic, and biochemical pathways that lead to the development of food allergy, and (2) identify biomarkers that predict the clinical course and natural history of patients with food allergy.

    Subjects eligible for enrollment in this study include children and adults with food allergy and patients with a known/suspected genetic or congenital disorder potentially associated with these phenotypes. Unaffected relatives (children and adults) of an enrolled subject and healthy volunteers (children and adults) will also be eligible for en
    Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

    Current Primary Outcome:

    • Investigate the key genetic, cellular, immunologic, microbial, and biochemical pathways that lead to the development of food allergy [ Time Frame: 06/15/2025 ]
    • Identify biomarkers that predict the clinical course and natural history of patients with food allergy [ Time Frame: 06/15/2025 ]


    Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

    Current Secondary Outcome:

    • The prevalence of eosinophilic GI disease in patients who might be considered to be at high risk for these conditions, including those patients with atopic dermatitis and/or multiple food sensitivities/allergies [ Time Frame: 06/15/2026 ]
    • Identification of nutritional deficiencies and their effect on the growth and overall health of patients with food allergy and related conditions [ Time Frame: 06/15/2026 ]
    • In vitro testing of novel therapies for food allergy using cells and other biological specimens obtained from patients with food allergy [ Time Frame: 06/15/2026 ]


    Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

    Information By: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)

    Dates:
    Date Received: July 21, 2015
    Date Started: June 30, 2015
    Date Completion: March 31, 2030
    Last Updated: May 9, 2017
    Last Verified: May 3, 2017