Food allergy and child asthma.

The etiological importance of the dietary factor as related to infantile bronchial asthma is not, at times, sufficiently taken into consideration. Nevertheless, many times foods or their components are capable of provoking asthmatic symptoms. A group of asthmatic children was studied with the goal of more throughly confirming the role of these allergens in producing bronchial asthma. Two-hundred and eighty-four patients were selected, and their clinical histories, skin tests, passive hemagglutination tests and oral provocation tests were analyzed. It was found that in twenty-four (8.45%) of these children, the etiology of their asthma was food-related, with the most frequent food allergens being eggs, milk and fish. Considering the results obtained, it was concluded that skin tests are of great value in food allergies, and that passive hemagglutination testing is of great reliability in the diagnosis of these conditions. Consequently, the allergists should always keep in mind a possible dietary etiology when treating an asthmatic child.