Diet Therapy and Food Allergy / Diets in Febrile Conditions

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the pathophysiology, classification, symptoms, and dietary therapy for food allergies, food intolerances, and febrile conditions.

Food Allergy

Specific reactions that result from an abnormal immunological response to a food, triggered by minute amounts of extrinsic antigens (allergens) recognized by sensitized individuals, which can be severe and life-threatening.

Food Intolerance

Non-allergic adverse reactions to food resulting from pharmacological effects, enzyme deficiencies, irritant, or toxic effects, none of which are mediated by the immune system, and which typically require relatively large amounts of food to occur.

IgE-Mediated Food Allergy

An allergic reaction characterized by early onset (within minutes to an hour after food ingestion) where antibodies trigger the release of histamine and other mediators from mast cells and basophils, potentially leading to wheezing, urticaria, angioedema, rashes, vomiting, or anaphylaxis.

Non-IgE-Mediated Food Allergy

A cell-mediated allergic reaction characterized by delayed onset (taking one to three days to appear), mediated by the activation of T cells and macrophages that trigger an inflammatory response, as seen in Celiac disease and food-sensitive enteropathy.

Histamine

The major chemical mediator in IgE-based allergic reactions released by mast cells; it causes airway constriction, vasodilation, fluid extravasation resulting in hives, and itching, and is also found naturally in cheese, some wines, crayfish, tuna, and mackerel.

Food-Initiated Anaphylaxis

A severe allergic reaction involving the whole body, with the lungs as the major target in humans, caused by histamine-mediated airway constriction, vasodilation that lowers blood pressure, and fluid leakage from the bloodstream to tissues.

Lactase Deficiency

The most common food intolerance, affecting approximately 1 out of 10 people, caused by a lack of the lactase enzyme and leading to gas formation, bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Food (DBPCF) Challenge

The procedure that has long served as the standard diagnostic standard in identifying and diagnosing food allergies.

Radioallergosorbent Test (RAST)

A laboratory test used to determine which compounds or specific allergens are causing allergic reactions by detecting specific antibodies in the blood.

Allergen Desensitization

A therapeutic protocol used when food restriction compromises diet adequacy, achieved by having the patient ingest a small amount of the food allergen following complete abstinence, with gradual increases until tolerance is established.

Febrile Condition

Any medical condition associated with fever, which is a symptom and physiological response to stress, trauma, or an altered immune or metabolic system rather than a disease itself.

Acute Fever

A short-duration febrile illness associated with common infections such as typhoid, tonsillitis, influenza, chickenpox, pneumonia, or parasitic infestations, during which body temperature may rise above $104\,^\circ\text{F}$.

Chronic Fever

A febrile state characterized by elevated body temperatures lasting over three weeks or several months, usually not exceeding $37.3\text{--}38\,^\circ\text{C}$, commonly associated with tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, and severe malnutrition.

Fever of Unexplained Origin (FUO)

Unexplained fever exceeding $37.3\,^\circ\text{C}$ on several occasions for at least 3 weeks in patients without neutropenia or immunosuppression, often associated with AIDS, Mycobacterium avium, cytomegalovirus, or lymphoma.

Basal Metabolic Rate in Fever

The baseline energy expenditure that increases by nearly $13\%$ for every $1\,^\circ\text{C}$ rise in body temperature above the normal physiological range ($36.1\text{--}37.2\,^\circ\text{C}$).

Diet Therapy for Febrile Conditions

Nutritional management prioritizing fluid and electrolyte replacement, frequent small feeds of liquid and soft foods, and a high-protein, high-calorie intake to compensate for increased BMR and accelerated tissue protein breakdown.