Prevalence of Immediate-Type Food Allergy in Korean Schoolchildren in 2015: A Nationwide, Population-based Study.
10.4168/aair.2017.9.5.410
- Author:
Minji KIM
1
;
Ji Young LEE
;
Hyun Young JEON
;
Hea Kyoung YANG
;
Kee Jae LEE
;
Youngshin HAN
;
Yang Hee KIM
;
Jihyun KIM
;
Kangmo AHN
Author Information
1. Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. kmaped@skku.edu
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Immediate type;
children;
food allergy
- MeSH:
Adolescent;
Allergens;
Anaphylaxis;
Arachis;
Child;
Cross-Sectional Studies;
Fagopyrum;
Food Hypersensitivity*;
Fruit;
Humans;
Korea;
Milk;
Nuts;
Ovum;
Parents;
Prevalence*;
Trees
- From:Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research
2017;9(5):410-416
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of immediate-type food allergy (FA) among schoolchildren in Korea. METHODS: A nationwide, cross-sectional study was performed in September 2015. A stratified random sample of 50,000 participants was selected from children and adolescents aged 6-7 years (n=17,500), 9-10 years (n=17,500), 12-13 years (n=7,500), and 15-16 years (n=7,500). Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire on the detailed history of immediate-type FA. RESULTS: A total of 32,001 (64.0%) responded to the questionnaire survey, and 29,842 children (59.7%) were analyzed after adjusting for missing data. The number of the cases in each age group was 9,671 (6-7 years), 9,756 (9-10 years), 5,169 (12-13 years), and 5,246 (15-16 years). The prevalence of lifetime perceived FA was 15.82%. The prevalence of current immediate-type FA was 4.06% in total, with 3.15% in 6- to 7-year-olds, 4.51% in 9- to 10-year-olds, 4.01% in 12- to 13-year-olds, and 4.49% in 15- to 16-year-olds. Among individual food items, peanut (0.22%) was the most frequent causative food, followed by hen's egg (0.21%), cow's milk (0.18%), and buckwheat (0.13%). Among the food groups, fruits (1.41%), crustaceans (0.84%), tree nuts (0.32%), and fish (0.32%) were the most common offending foods. The prevalence of food-induced anaphylaxis was 0.97%. The most frequent causative food of anaphylaxis was peanut (0.08%), followed by cow's milk (0.07%), buckwheat (0.06%), and hen's egg (0.06%), while fruits (0.28%), crustaceans (0.18%), tree nuts (0.12%), and fish (0.09%) were the most commonly responsible food groups. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of current immediate-type FA and food-induced anaphylaxis in Korean schoolchildren in 2015 was 4.06% and 0.97%, respectively. Peanuts, cow's milk, hen's egg, fruits, crustaceans, and tree nuts are common allergens.
