Role of food allergy in the development of different levels of asthma severity in childhood

Abstract

Background: Different risk factors including previous history of food allergy may play an important role in predicting the development and also the outcome of asthma in children. This study aims to assess the relationship of previous food allergy in infancy with asthma severity later in childhood. Methods: Infants and children of up to 14 years old referred to the Allergy Clinics of Azad University Hospitals from October 2018 to October 2019 for asthma were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. After confirming the diagnosis by a physician expert in this field and determining the level of severity, the patients’ caregivers were asked to fill out an eight-item questionnaire. The questionnaire focused on family history of allergy, as well as that of the child, specifically a previous history of physician-diagnosed food allergy. Results: A total of 170 asthmatic patients were enrolled in the study with a mean age of 7.1±3 years. A meaningful relationship between food allergy and asthma (p value < 0.001) was found. There was also a significant relationship according to history of food allergy in children with moderate and also severe asthma, compared to those with mild asthma (p<0.001). But a meaningful relationship was not found when comparing moderate and severe asthma (p=0.6). Conclusion: To conclude, food allergy in conjunction with a positive family history is suggested as a risk factor for persistent problematic asthma which places patients at greater risk for morbidities. A history of previous food allergy was significantly associated with moderate to severe asthma compared to mild asthma.