Study of the Prevalence of Food Allergens in Patients with Allergies Admitted to Mofid Children’s Hospital During 2010 to 2016

Fereshte Dehghan Banadaki,Mahboubeh Mansouri,Reza Shekarriz–Foumani

doi:10.24200/imminv.v3i2.116

Abstract

Introduction: Allergic diseases include a wide range of symptoms such as asthma, rhinitis, urticaria, eczema, and gastrointestinal symptoms that are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s world. Exposure to food allergens is one of the contributing factors for allergic diseases in humans. The identification of susceptibility to food allergens plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.Materials and Methods: After the clinical diagnosis of allergic diseases, patients were examined using the skin prick test.The method of collecting data was observational. All data were entered in SPSS software version 21 and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: A total of 466 patients with a mean age of years were studied, of which 58.6% were boys and 41.4% were girls. A total of 44.2% patients had asthma, 21.7% had allergic rhinitis, 2.1% had allergic sinusitis, 1.7% had conjunctivitis, 1.1% had angioedema, 11.6% had urticaria, 19.7% had eczema, and 26.8% had gastrointestinal allergic symptoms. A total of 114 patients (24.5%) had food allergies, of which 43.9% were girls and 56.1% were boys. In terms of the age and gender of patients, no statistically significant difference was observed between different food allergens (P<.05). The most common allergens in patients under study were peanuts (7.9%), milk (7.3%), almond (6.6%), freshwater fish (6.6%), and walnuts (6.4%).Conclusion: The findings revealed that allergen prevalence in each region is influenced by its climatic conditions, people’s food habits, their racial differences, and their lifestyles.

Highlights

Allergic diseases include a wide range of symptoms such as asthma, rhinitis, urticaria, eczema, and gastrointestinal symptoms that are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s world
The findings revealed that allergen prevalence in each region is influenced by its climatic conditions, people’s food habits, their racial differences, and their lifestyles
Following the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE), IL-4 is placed on mast cells and basophiles,and it binds with specialized receptors Fcε.If IL-4 is reconnected to the allergens, it activates them,causing the release of inflammatory mediators, which in turn gives rise to the symptoms of allergy [3]

Summary

Introduction

Allergic diseases include a wide range of symptoms such as asthma, rhinitis, urticaria, eczema, and gastrointestinal symptoms that are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s world. Results: A total of 466 patients with a mean age of years were studied, of which 58.6% were boys and 41.4% were girls. IL-4, which is a cytokine, plays an important role with its antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects, and immune responses are increased by IgE. A food allergy is an overreaction of human body to certain foods or substances that are usually safe. These adverse reactions may be hereditary or caused by a biochemical defect. In children of lower ages, the most common food allergens include cow’s milk (2.5%), eggs (1.3%), peanuts (0.8%), wheat (about 0.4%), soy (about 0.4 %), nuts (0.2%), fish (0.1%), and shellfish (0.1%).

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