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At the Food Allergy Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, we want to help you and your child know what to expect before and after a food challenge.
Find out:
Four days before the challenge, stop taking:
Keep in mind that many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines also contain antihistamines.
Please read the labels on any drugs your child may take prior to the food challenge. Avoid anything with antihistamines for at least three days before the challenge.
Your child should keep taking maintenance asthma medicines, like:
Do not give Albuterol®, Xopenex®, or other rescue inhalers on the morning of the challenge. If your child needs them, please call to cancel the appointment.
If your child takes drugs for other conditions, please let us know.
If your child is sick shortly before for his or her food challenge appointment, please call to reschedule. Allergic reactions can be more severe in a child who is already sick.
We can't perform a food challenge on a child who:
If your child arrives and is sick, we won't perform the food challenge.
Please do not bring your sick child to a food challenge appointment for an exam or treatment. Instead, we may be able to help schedule an office visit.
There are three possible outcomes of a food challenge.
Your child:
Once at home, there's a slight chance that your child will have a delayed allergic reaction. Contact your allergist or the allergist on call right away if this happens.
Rarely, a food allergy may recur after a child has passed a food challenge. We suggest that you keep the specific food in your child’s diet about three times per week.
Children's Hospital's main campus is located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. Our main hospital address is:
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh One Children’s Hospital Way 4401 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224
In addition to the main hospital, Children's has many convenient locations in other neighborhoods throughout the greater Pittsburgh region.
With myCHP, you can request appointments, review test results, and more.
For questions about a hospital bill call:
To pay your bill online, please visit UPMC's online bill payment system.
Interested in giving to Children's Hospital? Support the hospital by making a donation online, joining our Heroes in Healing monthly donor program, or visiting our site to learn about the other ways you can give back.