Amino Acid: Commonly referred to as the “building blocks” of protein, combined together they make up an intact protein structure. More

Amino Acid Formula: see Elemental Formula

Allergic Reaction: A negative immune system response to an allergen/trigger--- food, environmental, or chemical. More

Anaphylaxis: A potentially life-threatening allergic reaction involving two or more bodily systems (i.e. lung (respiratory) with symptoms of wheezing and /or difficulty breathing, skin (cutaneous) with hives and/or swelling, stomach (gastrointestinal) with vomiting, etc). If such a reaction is suspected, immediate medical attention is required.  More

APT:  An acronym that stands for Atopy Patch Test; a diagnostic tool used by some allergists to test reactivity for Non-IgE allergies by applying small disks with the food allergen placed under it on the surface of the skin (often the back). Please see section 4.2.2.5 of the 2010 Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States for more details on patch testing in allergies.  More

Colonoscopy:  A procedure performed by a gastroenterologist to exam the lower colon; this may be  ordered to rule in/rule out specific medical conditions. More

EGID:  An acronym that stands for Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders. These are severe and complex disorders characterized by a higher than normal level of eosinophils present in one or more specific areas of the digestive system. More

Elemental Formula: A hypoallergenic formula that contains proteins broken down into single amino-acid components, designed for infants and children with severe dietary restrictions who are unable to tolerate an extensively hydrolyzed formula. Examples of brand names include Neocate, Elecare, and Nutramigen AA.

Endoscopy: A procedure performed by a gastroenterologist to exam the upper gastrointestinal tract with a small scope: esophagus, stomach, upper small intestines; this may ordered to rule in/rule out specific medical conditions.  More

Enterocolitis: Referring to inflammation throughout the entire colon: small intestines and large intestine. More

Eosinophil: A white blood cell that is part of the immune system. In some individuals, high numbers of these cells can be an indication of food or environmental allergies. More

Epinephrine: Commonly recognized in the form of an Epi-pen/Epi Jr auto-injector, this is a prescription adrenaline medication given to a patient when he/she is believed to be suffering from an anaphylactic reaction.

Food allergy: According to the 2010 Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States, this is defined as, “an adverse health effect arising from a specific immune response that occurs reproducibly on exposure to a given food." More

Food Allergen: The food or substance that causes the allergic reaction. An excellent further definition for “food allergens” can be found in section 2.1.1 of the 2010 Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States. More

Food trial: A food trial is a term used to refer to the process of offering a specific single-ingredient food to an infant/child for the first time. Generally, the food is given for a set period of days (i.e. for a full week, etc.) and in increasingly larger amounts with each day of the trial. The goal is to offer a full, age-appropriate serving of the food on the final day of the trial. If the infant/child does not appear symptomatic in relation to the food by the end of the trial, the food is generally considered safe. An infant/child's doctor can help parents to determine an appropriate food trial length for him/her based on his/her age and reaction history.

FPIES: Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome, a food allergy of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.  Please see “About FPIES”. More

Hydrolyzed protein - Proteins have been broken down from their original complex structure to a less complex, or simple, structure, making them easier for the body to process and potentially less allergenic. Also see Extensively Hydrolyzed Formula or Partially Hydrolyzed Formula.

Hypoallergenic formula: A formula that has undergone additional processing of the proteins (milk/soy) to make them less allergenic. A hypoallergenic formula can be extensively hydrolyzed or elemental formula. See also Extensively Hydrolyzed Formula or Elemental Formula. More

IgE Food Allergy: A negative health effect due to an immediate (0min-2hrs) immune system response to a food allergen that produces IgE antibodies. For further information table of possible symptoms, please see Table 1, Section 4 of the 2010 Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States. More

MSPI:  An acronym that stands for Milk/Soy Protein Intolerance, a term often used to describe a condition occurring when an infant/child has symptoms of abdominal discomfort, colic, vomiting, loose stools, or visible blood in the stool due to the intolerance of milk and soy.  Though this term is not considered to be a medical term, there are some practitioners that will use "MSPI" to describe these symptoms. More

Non IgE Food Allergy: A delayed cell-mediated response of the immune system, not involving IgE antibody production. More

Oral Food Challenge (OFC): A test, to be completed under medical supervision, to find out if a food is tolerated to either:
a) confirm presence of allergy to suspected food; or
b) to assess if allergy has been outgrown. More

Protein:   A protein is the primary component of all living things, and is the part of food responsible for the majority of food allergic reactions. More

RAST: An acronym that stands for radioallergosorbent test (also known as the Allergen-specific IgE antibody test), this is a blood test done to evaluate IgE antibody responses in the blood in regards to specific allergens. A detailed description can be found in section 4.2.2.4 of the 2010  Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States. More

Scope- see Endoscopy

Shock: This severe condition requires emergency medical care, due to rapid fluid loss (in FPIES reactions, this is thought to be hypovelmic shock from profuse and rapid vomiting and/or diarrhea) and/or blood loss causing the heart to be unable to pump enough blood to the body's organs. Shock in children may present differently than adults.  More 

Sigmoidoscopy: Procedure performed by a gastroenterologist to exam the lower colon; this may be  ordered to rule in/rule out specific medical conditions. More 

SPT: An acronym that stands for Skin Prick Test. A test performed in the allergist's office to aid in detecting IgE allergies. A description of this test can be found in section 4.2.2.1 of the 2010 Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States. More

Trigger Food: see Food Allergen

Upper GI Series: A test ordered by a doctor to rule out anatomical abnormalities in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) system that may be contributing to symptoms.  The patient ingests a barium solution and undergoes a series of x-rays to exam various components of the upper GI system. More