L'éducation thérapeutique peut-elle améliorer la qualité de vie de l'enfant allergique alimentaire ?

Food allergy affects 5-6% of children. The major risk is anaphylaxis by accidental ingestion of the forbidden allergen, a risk that the child and his family have to learn to avoid and to treat. Therapeutic education is essential in the management of this allergy. In limiting children's socialisation and increasing their anxiety, food allergy significantly affects their quality of life. At present there is no curative treatment, so improving the quality of life is one of the principal aims in the management of these children. To our knowledge, the influence of therapeutic education on their quality of life and their family's quality of life has never been studied. With the aid of the French Allergy Society, GRETAA (the Groupe de Réflexion en Education Thérapeutique de l'Allergie Alimentaire) intends to carry out a prospective study whose principal aim is to evaluate the impact of 1 year of therapeutic education on the quality of life of children aged 8-12 years with IgE-mediated food allergy.