Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of self-experienced adverse reactions to foods seems to have an increasing trend in both adults and children. However, it is unclear if the prevalence of food hypersensitivity in the Swedish adult population is still rising, what symptoms are caused by different foods and which are the most common foods to which adults are more frequently IgE-sensitised.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study based on questionnaire responses, interviews and clinical examinations as part of the West Sweden Asthma Study, 1042 subjects from the general population, 17–78 years of age, living in Västra Götaland, Sweden, were included. The subjects reported symptoms for 56 specified foods and blood samples were taken to examine the IgE-sensitisation pattern for 9 common foods.ResultsApproximately 32% of adults reported food hypersensitivity, affecting mostly women and subjects less than 61 years old. The foods most often reported to cause adverse reactions were hazelnut (8.9%), apple (8.4%), milk (7.4%) and kiwi (7.3%). Less than one percent (0.9%) reported symptoms from ingestion of meat. Symptoms mostly affected the gastrointestinal tract (15%) and the skin (2.7%). Sixteen per cent were IgE-sensitised to common foods, most often to hazelnut (13.3%), peanut (4.9%) and almond (3.0%), while 5.9% reported symptoms and were IgE-sensitised to the same food, mainly to hazelnut (5.3%).ConclusionsThe prevalence of self-reported food hypersensitivity in West Sweden indicates a rising trend. The correspondence between self-reported symptoms and IgE-sensitisation to foods is generally poor, except for hazelnut and almond which exhibit moderate or fair correlation.
Highlights
The prevalence of self-experienced adverse reactions to foods seems to have an increasing trend in both adults and children
In a recent food allergy review in Europe, self-reported food hypersensitivity in adults ranged from 3.5 to 20% with the lowest prevalence occurring in Eastern Europe and the highest in northern Europe [3]
We have previously shown that adverse reactions to foods are associated with asthma [20], but it is unclear which foods cause most reactions and which organs are mostly affected in the Swedish population
Summary
The prevalence of self-experienced adverse reactions to foods seems to have an increasing trend in both adults and children. It is unclear if the prevalence of food hypersensitivity in the Swedish adult population is still rising, what symptoms are caused by different foods and which are the most common foods to which adults are more frequently IgE-sensitised. The “golden standard” used to verify a food allergy is a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) [9, 21] This is an expensive, time-consuming test and the patient may be at risk for anaphylactic reaction during the challenge. By combining the methods mentioned above, a better estimation of the true prevalence of food allergy can be achieved
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