Eligibility criteria
Studies were deemed eligible for the review if they included all the
following:
• Population: Humans (irrespective of age) with suspected IgE-mediated
allergy to any specific food.
• Intervention: Any index test
• Comparator: IgE-mediated FA diagnosis determined by OFC using any
method including open food challenge or double-blind placebo-controlled
food challenge (DBPCFC) in at least a portion of study participants.
• Outcome: Sensitivity and specificity of the index test.
We excluded conference abstracts, editorials, correspondence, narrative
reviews, qualitative studies, case reports and case series of less than
20 patients, as well as animal studies and studies in which allergies
are defined based on sensitization tests alone without a history
following ingestion.