by Wiley

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An analysis of relevant published studies indicates that across all ages, food allergy negatively affects individuals' quality of life to a greater extent in females than in males.

The analysis, which is published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy, included 34 studies. In the studies, women and the parents of girls tended to report a greater impact of food allergy on health-related quality of life than men or parents of boys.

Evidence also showed that improvements in quality of life over the course of treatment for food allergy can be different for males and females, with weak evidence suggesting that male children may experience more improvements in quality of life following immunotherapy for food allergy than female children. Therefore, allergy management approaches may need to be tailored to account for gender.

"Our objective in publicizing this research is to highlight the need to account for gender when caring for people with food allergy, when measuring the impact of food allergy on quality of life, and when making policy decisions about food allergy," said corresponding author Mimi Tang, Ph.D., of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, in Australia.

More information: Sophie A. Rosser et al, Associations between gender and health‐related quality of life in people with IgE‐mediated food allergy and their caregivers: A systematic review, Clinical & Experimental Allergy (2024). DOI: 10.1111/cea.14450

Journal information: Clinical & Experimental Allergy 

Provided by Wiley