BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of food hypersensitivity (FHS) is difficult and interpretation of food allergy tests is complicated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the probability of reported FHS in relation to levels of food-specific IgE-antibodies (AB) in a population-based setting of 4-year-old children (n = 2336). METHODS: Information on FHS was obtained from a questionnaire and specific IgE-AB to milk, egg, fish, peanut, soy and wheat were analysed. RESULTS: Thirty-one per cent of the children with reported FHS (n = 284) were sensitized (> or =0.35 kU(A)/l) to at least one of the tested foods compared with 11% of children without FHS (n = 2052). Furthermore, the probability of reported symptoms to milk, egg and fish increased with increasing levels of food-specific IgE-AB to the same food allergens. A similar trend was seen for peanut and wheat, but not for soy. Increasing levels of specific IgE-AB to milk or egg were also associated with an increasing risk of reported symptoms caused by other foods. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative measurements of IgE-AB to milk, egg and fish are useful to evaluate IgE-associated FHS in preschool children also in a population based sample. Such measurements appear to be of limited value for soy bean and wheat, in particular as a screening method.
BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of food hypersensitivity (FHS) is difficult and interpretation of food allergy tests is complicated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the probability of reported FHS in relation to levels of food-specific IgE-antibodies (AB) in a population-based setting of 4-year-old children (n = 2336). METHODS: Information on FHS was obtained from a questionnaire and specific IgE-AB to milk, egg, fish, peanut, soy and wheat were analysed. RESULTS: Thirty-one per cent of the children with reported FHS (n = 284) were sensitized (> or =0.35 kU(A)/l) to at least one of the tested foods compared with 11% of children without FHS (n = 2052). Furthermore, the probability of reported symptoms to milk, egg and fish increased with increasing levels of food-specific IgE-AB to the same food allergens. A similar trend was seen for peanut and wheat, but not for soy. Increasing levels of specific IgE-AB to milk or egg were also associated with an increasing risk of reported symptoms caused by other foods. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative measurements of IgE-AB to milk, egg and fish are useful to evaluate IgE-associated FHS in preschool children also in a population based sample. Such measurements appear to be of limited value for soy bean and wheat, in particular as a screening method.
Authors: Yafang Tan; John F Halsey; Tiantian Tang; Scott Vande Wetering; Elaine Taine; Mark Van Cleve; Brian T Cunningham Journal: Biosens Bioelectron Date: 2015-09-14 Impact factor: 10.618
Authors: I Pali-Schöll; R Herzog; J Wallmann; K Szalai; R Brunner; A Lukschal; P Karagiannis; S C Diesner; E Jensen-Jarolim Journal: Clin Exp Allergy Date: 2010-03-04 Impact factor: 5.018
Authors: Anna Sapone; Julio C Bai; Carolina Ciacci; Jernej Dolinsek; Peter H R Green; Marios Hadjivassiliou; Katri Kaukinen; Kamran Rostami; David S Sanders; Michael Schumann; Reiner Ullrich; Danilo Villalta; Umberto Volta; Carlo Catassi; Alessio Fasano Journal: BMC Med Date: 2012-02-07 Impact factor: 8.775