Endomicroscopy in Patients With Food Allergy: a New Diagnostic Option

• The degree of oedema formation, the amount of cell infiltration and the expansion of lymph nodes. [ Time Frame: Two years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Food allergy is with a prevalence of 2-4% a seldom disease. The endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract and the histological analysis of taken biopsies of the intestinal mucosa are basic instruments in the diagnostic of food allergy. With modern high-resolution video endoscopy the intestinal mucosa can be investigated on inflamed areas and can evaluate several of differential diagnosis. With the implementation of a fluorescein based confocal laser endoscope the intestinal mucosa can be magnified 1000 fold, so that even next to the macroscopic investigation the cellular patterns can be analyzed. The laser endoscope offers for the first time an in vivo presentation of cellular structures. Our study group could utilise for the first time the laser endoscope in patients with colitis ulcerosa for cancer prevention. Hereby, the cancer prediction could be enhanced obviously. Furthermore, we conducted these investigations in more than 1500 patients und could present that this method is a safety method.

Based on these investigations we want to implement now the laser endoscope in the diagnostic field of food allergy. Patient wit food allergy generates through the intestinal mediators and histamine secretion an oedema, an increase of inflammatory cells, vasodilatation and expansion of lymph nodes. In comparison of patients with food allergy to healthy subjects, the degree of oedema formation, the amount of cell infiltration and the expansion of lymph nodes will be evaluated.

The aim of the present study is to detect these cellular structures in patients with food allergy and to open with that a new diagnostic option in patient with an allergy disease.