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http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118912098/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Food allergy is
a matter of geography after all: sesame as a major cause of severe IgE-mediated
food allergic reactions among infants and young children in Israel
Results: We identified 150 out
of 9070 (1.7%) patients with suspected IgE-mediated food allergy. Among
them, 102/150 (67%) [59 males, 43 females; mean age 10.3 months] completed a
detailed questionnaire and underwent SPT. Evaluation revealed 131 positive
SPTs in 78/102 (76.5%) patients. Twenty-seven positive SPTs in 18 patients
were considered clinically irrelevant based on previous consumption of the
relevant foods without clinical symptoms. Thus, there were 104 relevant
positive SPTs in 78 patients. The overall prevalence of clinically relevant
IgE-mediated food allergic reactions among these patients is estimated to be
1.2% (104/9070). The most common food allergens were egg, cow's milk, and
sesame. Anaphylaxis was the presenting symptom in 14/78 (18%) including six
sesame-induced cases. A history of other atopic diseases was reported in 27
(35%) patients. In addition, 22 (28%) had a history of atopy in first-degree
family members.
Conclusions: We
found sesame to be a major cause of IgE-mediated food allergy in Israel.
In fact, it is second only to cow's milk as a cause of anaphylaxis. We
recommend that testing for food allergens be tailored to each community
based on local experience and should include sesame in appropriate
populations. |
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