One in 50 children present with egg allergy. This is an update of the BSACI guideline for the management of egg allergy. 1 It was prepared by an expert group of the Standards of Care Committee (SOCC) of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) and addresses the diagnosis and treatment of patients with egg allergy, for healthcare professionals working in secondary care. It includes guidance for families with egg-allergic children and adult egg-allergic patients. The guideline working group included paediatric and adult allergists, paediatric and adult allergy specialist dieticians and clinical psychologists working with egg-allergic patients. During development of this guideline, representatives from patient organizations (Allergy UK and Anaphylaxis Campaign) were part of the guideline writing group and involved in selection of topics, evidence, recommendations and draft reviews. Declarations of interest of the guideline lead and the writing group members are held at BSACI office and are available on request. None jeopardized unbiased guideline

Research over the past 20 years has demonstrated the significant impact food allergy can have on quality of life and mental health of patients and their families, yet there is a paucity of psychological services to support families in coping with this condition. This paper provides a short overview of the psychological impact of food allergy, followed by a discussion of the use of paediatric psychological services for long‐term conditions. To our knowledge, few paediatric allergy clinics in the UK have funding for dedicated clinical psychology services. Two such services are based at Southampton General Hospital and the Evelina London Children's Hospital. This paper includes descriptions of these services and how they are currently being used by patients and families. This is followed by an allergy clinician's perspective on the use of psychological services. Recommendations are made for allergy services to work with hospital psychology services to develop, integrate and deliver psychological services for all patients with allergy and their families who are in need. Future research also needs to focus on the efficacy of psychological therapies and group interventions in food allergy.

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Background: Our understanding of how adolescents perceive and cope with their allergic condition/s is limited. This study used the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) in a group of adolescents with allergies and correlates the findings with demographic and clinical conditions. Methods:In this retrospective questionnaire-based study, we analysed 100 valid questionnaires from adolescents (11-18 years) attending our service after receiving management and treatment for their allergic condition/s. Results:The overall BIPQ score was 4.8 (IQR 3.6-5.6). The highest item-related scores were for "timeline" (illness duration) followed by "concern." The lowest scores were found for "coherence/understanding," demonstrating that adolescents do not perceive that they have a sound understanding of their condition/s. We found a significant difference in the overall BIPQ scores between the genders and in the emotional representation score, with females showing a highest score. Older adolescents reported a more chronic perception of the allergic disease/s. Conclusion:Our results suggest that a better understanding and support of the allergic condition/s in adolescents, particularly in females, are likely an important target for intervention intended to improve their quality of life. BIPQ can be used as adjunct to routine allergy clinic appointments for further exploration of the wider impact of allergies on adolescents' lives. K E Y W O R D S adolescent, allergy, BIPQ, brief Illness perception questionnaire, illness perception, quality of life How to cite this article: James P, Caballero MR. Illness perception of adolescents with allergic conditions under specialist care.