OBJECTIVEThe causes of chronic diarrhea in children are complex. At present, food allergy is generally viewed as an important cause of this disorder, and IgG-mediated delayed allergy plays a major role in this process. This study aimed to explore the link between food specific IgG and chronic diarrhea in children, as well as the value of food allergens-specific IgG antibody detection in the management of this disorder.

METHODSEighty-two children with chronic diarrhea and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum levels of specific IgG antibody to 14 kinds of food were detected using ELISA. The results were classified into four grades: Grade 0 (negative), Grade 1 (mild allergy), Grade 2 (moderate allergy) and Grade 3 (severe allergy). The patients received a diet treatment based on the results of food specific IgG antibody detection. Children with negative IgG antibody were allowed to continue their current diet. In children with Grade 1 allergy, the food responsible for the IgG antibody positive test was given only at an interval of four days. In children with Grade 2 or 3, the offending food was eliminated from the diet.

RESULTSOf the 82 children with chronic diarrhea, 79 (96.2%) had increased specific IgG levels for one or more of the 14 foods tested compared to 8 (26.7%) of the controls (P <0.01). The majority of patients showed increased specific IgG levels for milk (68.3%) and egg (62.2%). A low proportion of patients (2.4%) was allergic to chicken, and no patient was allergic to pork. The symptoms were improved in 65 patients (79.3%) after 1 week to 3 months of diet treatment.

CONCLUSIONSFood allergy is one of major causes of chronic childhood diarrhea. Food specific IgG antibody detection may assist in the dietary management of this disorder.