Does gender affect food allergy’s impact on quality of life?

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, PhD, of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, in Australia.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cea.14450

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
Clinical and Experimental Allergy is the Official Journal of the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology, publishing clinical and experimental observations in disease in all fields of medicine in which allergic hypersensitivity plays a part.Clinical and Experimental Allergy strikes an excellent balance between clinical and scientific articles and carries regular reviews and editorials written by leading authorities in their field.

About Wiley
Wiley is a knowledge company and a global leader in research, publishing, and knowledge solutions. Dedicated to the creation and application of knowledge, Wiley serves the world’s researchers, learners, innovators, and leaders, helping them achieve their goals and solve the world's most important challenges. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.