Abstract
BackgroundOnly one previous study, via telephone call, on the prevalence of self-reported food allergies has been performed in Portugal, in a small sample of adults. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported and probable food allergy, analyze the clinical features and involved foods in Portuguese adults.MethodsPopulation-based, cross-sectional study performed in various healthcare centres from central Portugal. All 1436 randomly selected individuals (median age: 45 years, 50.6 % female) replied to a validated food allergy questionnaire by phone. Those who reported an adverse food reaction were invited to come to the hospital, where clinical history was taken, skin prick (SPT) and prick-prick skin (SPPT) tests were performed and food allergen-specific IgE levels (sIgE) were determined. An open oral challenge was performed in selected cases. Cases of positive clinical history of immediate (up to 2 h after ingestion) reaction in association with positive food sIgE levels and/or skin prick tests were classified as IgE-associated probable food allergy. Cases of positive clinical history of delayed (more than 2 h after ingestion) and negative food sIgE levels independently of positive SPT or SPPT results were classified as non-IgE associated probable food allergy.ResultsThe prevalence of probable food allergy in our sample was 1 %, with shellfish and fish as the most frequently implicated foods. IgE-mediated probable food allergy occurred in 0.71 % of cases, with shellfish, peanut and nuts mainly involved. Cutaneous symptoms were most frequently reported. Prevalence values and food types were discrepant between self-reported and probable food allergies.ConclusionsThe prevalence of probable food allergies in Portuguese adults is low, is mostly related to shellfish, peanut and nuts and most frequently involves cutaneous symptoms.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13223-016-0139-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
One previous study, via telephone call, on the prevalence of self-reported food allergies has been performed in Portugal, in a small sample of adults
In Europe, two population-based studies based upon questionnaires applied via telephone call and followed by clinical assessment, skin prick tests and oral challenge tests, clearly showed discrepant results between the prevalence values of self-reported and confirmed food allergy in adults in Germany (34.9 % selfreported and 3.7 % confirmed food allergy) [14], and in Denmark (19.6 % self-reported and 1.7 % confirmed food allergy) [15], values which are relatively similar to those obtained in the US
Population For this study, we took into account the fact that 76,946 adults of both sexes, aged between 18 and 80 years, are registered in the files of general practitioners from the six Healthcare Centres belonging to the Local Health Unit of Castelo Branco which accepted to participate in the study (Castelo Branco, Vila Velha de Ródão, Sertã, Proença-aNova, Oleiros and Idanha-a-Nova)
Summary
Via telephone call, on the prevalence of self-reported food allergies has been performed in Portugal, in a small sample of adults. Not all adverse reactions to foods are regarded as having an immunologically mediated “food allergy” [1, 7,8,9] It is, necessary to go through a complicated diagnostic process, involving a thorough and detailed clinical history as well as specific tests, among which oral challenges are included [7, 9, 10]. If the diagnostic process is not completed to a great extent, or is Lozoya‐Ibáñez et al Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol (2016) 12:36 somehow incorrect, it may lead to unnecessary or inappropriate dietary eviction measures For this reason, the prevalence values of food allergies in the general adult population are not well known. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of both self-reported and probable food allergy, as well as to analyze the clinical features and involved foods in a general population of Portuguese adults
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