Professor of Paediatric Allergy
Adam Fox: Professor of Paediatric Allergy in London
One of only a few children's allergy doctors in the UK with recognised higher specialist training, Professor Adam Fox is Consultant Paediatric Allergist at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, and a Professor in Paediatric Allergy at King's College London. As well as his extensive clinical experience in all aspects of allergy affecting children, his special interest is within the field of desensitisation using sublingual immunotherapy.
Watch Professor Fox being featured on ITV's 'This Morning' here.
Adam sees patients with the full range of allergic disorders and is particularly interested in eczema and food allergy as well as allergen desensitisation, both for foods (including peanut, milk, egg, sesame and tree nuts) as well as environmental allergens such as pollens, dust mites and pets and he is actively involved in research in these areas. Together with two colleagues he established The Food Allergy Immunotherapy Centre at Great Ormond St Hospital in 2021, where he initiated the first patient in the world, outside of the US, on Palforzia (the first licenced food allergy desensitisation product) in October 2021. www.thefoodallergyimmunotherapycentre.com
Adam read Medicine and Neuroscience at Cambridge University before completing his clinical training at University College, London. After specialist training in Paediatric Allergy in 2006, he was one of the founding consultants of what is now one of Europe’s largest specialist Allergy services, at St Thomas’ Hospitals, London. Adam spent 9 years as clinical lead for Allergy (Adult & Paediatric) at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals, during which time the service was recognised as an International Centre of Excellence by both the World Allergy Organisation and GALEN (European Asthma & Allergy Network). He is also a Professor of Paediatric Allergy at King’s College London and the founding Director of the KCL Allergy Academy, a postgraduate educational programme, which was a finalist at the BMJ Awards in 2018.
Adam was elected President of the British Society of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, the first Paediatrician to hold this position, from October 2018 until 2021. He remains a Trustee and took on the role of Chair of the National Allergy Strategy Group, working closely with the Department of Health & Social Care, from July 2022.
Adam was awarded ‘Paediatric Allergist of the Year’ from Allergy UK in 2007. His doctoral thesis on peanut allergy received the Raymond Horton Smith prize from Cambridge University in 2012 and he was included in The Times ‘Britain’s 100 Best Children’s Doctor’s’ (2012). Adam received the William Frankland Award for Outstanding contribution to Allergy from the British Society of Allergy & Clinical Immunology in 2015 and a National Clinical Excellence award from the UK Department of Health in 2016 and 2020. Adam has lectured around the world, made numerous documentaries, published over 100 research articles including in top medical journals and appears regularly in TV and print media, including as a regular contributor on ITV ‘This Morning’.
Adam’s private practice, Allergy London was awarded 'Best Allergy Clinic - London' in the 2019 Global Health & Pharma Private Healthcare Awards and Best Allergy Testing Specialists in the 2020 Private Healthcare Awards. He was also recognised by Doctify for 'Excellent Patient Experience' in 2018 and was one of 29 specialists to receive the ‘Top Doctors award’ in 2018 from Top Doctors website, voted for by other doctors, asked to nominate who they would choose to go to if they had a problem, or who they would recommend for friends and family. He was also listed in the most recent ‘The Tatler Doctors List’ (2013) of the best 250 UK private medical consultants. Allergy London, his practice, is top rated at 4.9/5 on Trustpilot, where all his patients are asked to post a review.
Food allergies
Professor Fox ensures that all problem foods are correctly identified using allergy tests such as skin prick testing, specific IgE blood testing, atopy patch testing or provocation challenges. Common allergic problems such as eczema and asthma, which often accompany food allergy, are also identified and treated. When an allergen is identified and excluded from the diet, Prof. Fox is able to offer advice on substitutes for essential nutrients and on how to recognise and deal with any subsequent reactions that may occur accidentally, as well as offer desensitisation (food OIT) for select allergens such as milk, egg and peanut.
Eczema
Eczema affects 15-20% of school children, in some cases with a significant impact on quality of life. Prof. Fox combines a detailed clinical history with allergy testing to identify and exclude food or environmental allergens, helping to improve eczema and lessen the need for steroids.
Asthma
Over 1 million children in the UK suffer with asthma. The identification of allergens, used in conjunction with other treatments, can lead to effective control of symptoms. Prof. Fox uses the latest monitoring techniques such as computerised spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide measurement. He is at the forefront of the development of sublingual immunotherapy (a desensitisation process where drops are placed under the tongue daily to lessen an allergic reaction) and anti-IgE therapy for children whose symptoms do not respond to conventional therapies.
Hay fever
Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) is a distressing and irritating condition, affecting approximately 15% of children. It can adversely affect quality of sleep and impact on school life. Following correct identification of the causative allergen, hay fever can be treated with safe medication. There are children for whom this approach is less effective, and in these cases Prof. Fox is now able to offer the new specialist treatment of sublingual immunotherapy. This is available for grass and tree pollen, dust mite, cat, dog and horse allergies.
Clinical interests
As one of the UK's few accredited specialist paediatric allergists, Prof. Fox does not look to treat a condition in isolation but looks beyond the presenting problems to consider their underlying cause. He aims to treat the child as a whole, considering how the symptoms and the treatment of one condition will impact those of the others. Prof. Fox work in the UK's largest NHS children's allergy service, Guy's and St Thomas and ongoing involvement in academic medicine allows him to bring the most up to date specialist treatments to his patients before they are available outside of the specialist arena.
Research interests
Principle Investigator for Guy's & St Thomas' Hopsital for 2 international multicentre trials: - GAP study - using desensitisation to prevent the development of asthma in high risk allergic children - PAICE study investigating role of pre/probiotics in accelerating tolerance in milk allergic children.
In the media
Prof. Fox's skill and experience has led to him speaking about his field on a number of different platforms. These include on national television, research papers and peer reviewed journals. You can find out more about Prof. Fox's work with the media at www.allergylondon.com/press.
Treatments
Professor Adam Fox is an expert in children's allergies, with specialties in food allergies, eczema, asthma and hay fever.
Conditions treated include:
- Angioedema
- Asthma
- Atopic eczema
- Eczema
- Food allergies
- Rhinosinusitis
- Urticaria
Clinics
Tuesday - All day
Centennial Medical Care, Elstree
Wednesday - Afternoon & Evening
The Portland Hospital, London
Thursday - alternating location each week, Afternoon & Evening
Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
ENT4kids, London
Saturday - monthly, Morning
HCA Waterfront Outpatients Centre, Elstree
For enquiries and appointments, please contact the Practice Secretary on 020 3758 9160 or email info@allergylondon.com.
Correspondence address:
Attn: Claire Fisher
Allergy London
PO BOX 1182
Bushey
WD23 9GF
See what patients are saying about Adam Fox
I can honestly say that Professor Fox has not only changed my daughter’s life but our whole family’s life. My daughters whole body was covered in eczema, she scratched non stop and had woken up screaming and distressed every night for 2 years. Within 3 days of seeing Professor Fox her skin was almost clear and she was sleeping happily through the night. Within a week, it has completely gone. She is calmer, happier and her skin is beautiful! We cannot thank Professor Fox enough for the transformation.
Suzanne