Register of food and latex allergy in the Allergy Units of Catalonia

Abstract

Results 278 patients, 232 adults (83.5%) and 46 children (16.5%) have been analyzed. The mean age in adults was 34 years (IQR: 26-44) and in children 5 years (IQR: 3-7). 57.2% were women and 42.8% men. 70% had a personal history of atopic disease. Milk and egg, 28.3% each, were the more frequently implicated foods in children. In adults; nuts (39.4%), rosaceae fruits (29.9%) and shellfish (11.6%) were the main causes of food allergy. Egg and banana allergy was more frequent in men and anisakis allergy in women. Urticaria (55.4%) was the most frequent clinical manifestation followed by anaphylaxis (32.4%) and oral allergy syndrome (31.7%). 97.4% of the anaphylactic reactions were presented in adults. Nuts caused 51% of the anaphylactic reactions, rosacea fruits the 35.6% and shellfish the 16.7%. Some foods like shellfish, fruits and nuts caused almost always symptoms while legumes and mustard sensitizations were asymptomatic in most patients. Eleven patients had latex allergy and 4 were sensitized to latex without symptoms. Urticaria was the clinical manifestation in most of the latex allergic patients (72%). Sensitization to airborne allergens was frequent in patients with food allergy 51% of the patients were sensitized to mites, 26.5% to grass, 24.5% to Olea, 18.6% to Platanus, 17.6% to Artemisia and 8.8% to Parietaria pollens.