Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disease. Children with AD tend to have a higher prevalence of food allergies. This study investigated the clinical significance of food sensitization in AD patients. A total of 266 AD patients participated in this study. The prevalence of food sensitization and clinically relevant sensitization were compared in the subjects according to their age and AD severity. Sera from all patients were analyzed for food-specific IgE levels using the Pharmacia CAP System FEIA. The serum specific IgE levels for egg, milk, peanut and soybean were measured. Patients were regarded as sensitized to the food if their food-specific IgE levels were above 0.35 kUA/L. Also the food-specific IgE levels, the so-called diagnostic decision point, which is recommended as the clinically relevant level, for clinical food allergy, as suggested by Sampson et al, was used as an alternative method. From the measurement of food-specific IgE antibodies of the four foods, egg was the most highly sensitized and the main causative allergenic food in children with AD. The positive rates of specific IgE to the four major food allergens, and the prevalences of clinically relevant food sensitization, were higher for all foods tested in the group less than 1 year of age, and were significantly higher in moderate to severe AD compared to mild AD in infants and young children. In summary, presence of food specific IgE is prevalent in infants and young children with AD, and clinically relevant food sensitization is important in Korean infants and children with moderate to severe AD.
Child, Preschool ; Dermatitis, Atopic/*immunology ; Egg Hypersensitivity/epidemiology ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E/blood ; Infant ; Male ; Milk Hypersensitivity/epidemiology ; Peanut Hypersensitivity/epidemiology ; Soybeans/immunology

With the exception of shellfish, the overall food allergy rates in Singapore have not reached the epidemic proportions of the West. The rates of egg, milk and fish allergies remain low. However, the patterns of some food allergies in Singapore have changed over the last decade. For example, peanut allergy, once rare in Singapore, is now the most common cause of anaphylaxis in children. Studies analysing lifestyle practices, particularly with respect to prevention of food allergy, are necessary in order for practitioners to understand global differences and maintain this low prevalence.
Anaphylaxis ; diagnosis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Egg Hypersensitivity ; Fish Products ; Food Hypersensitivity ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Milk Hypersensitivity ; Peanut Hypersensitivity ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Food allergy (FA) is a worldwide problem, with increasing prevalence in many countries, and it poses a clearly increasing health problem in Korea. In Korea, as a part of International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC), a series of nation-wide population studies for prevalence of allergic disease in children were carried out, with the Korean version of ISAAC in 1995, 2000, and 2010. From the survey, the twelve-month prevalence of FA showed no significant differences from 1995 to 2000 in both age groups (6-12 years-old, 6.5% in 1995 and 5.7% in 2000; 12-15 year-olds, 7.4% in 1995 and 8.6% in 2000). The mean lifetime prevalence of FA which had ever been diagnosed by medical doctor was 4.7% in 6-12 year-olds and 5.1% in 12-15 year-olds respectively in 2000. In Korean children, the major causes of FA are almost same as in other countries, although the order prevalence may vary, a prime example of which being that peanut and tree nut allergies are not prevalent, as in western countries. Both pediatric emergency department (ED) visits and deaths relating to food induced anaphylaxis have also increased in western countries. From a study which based on data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (KHIRA) from 2001 to 2007, the incidence of anaphylaxis under the age of 19 was 0.7-1 per 100,000 person-year, and foods (24.9%) were the most commonly identified cause of childhood anaphylaxis. In another epidemiologic study, involving 78889 patients aged 0-18 years who visited the EDs of 9 hospitals during June 2008 to Mar 2009, the incidence of food related anaphylaxis was 4.56 per 10,000 pediatric ED visits. From these studies, common causes of food related anaphylaxis were seafood, buckwheat, cow's milk, fruits, peanut and tree nuts. Although systematic epidemiologic studies have not reported on the matter, recently, plant foods related allergy has increased in Korean children. Among 804 children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, we reveals that the peanut sensitization rate in Korea reaches 18%, and that, when sensitized to peanut, patients showed a significant tendency to have co-sensitization with house dust mites, egg white, wheat, and soybean. The higher specific IgE to peanut was related to the likelihood of the patient developing severe systemic reactions. In another study, based on the data analysis of 69 patients under 4 years of age who had suspected peanut and tree nut allergy, 22 (31.9%) were sensitized to walnut (>0.35 kU/L, 0.45-27.4 kU/L) and 6 (8.7%) experienced anaphylaxis due to a small amount of walnut exposure. Furthermore, in this review, clinical and immunological studies on plant food allergies, such as buckwheat allergy, rice allergy, barley allergy, and kiwi fruit allergy, in Korean children are discussed.
Anaphylaxis ; Arachis ; Asthma ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Egg White ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Fagopyrum ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Fruit ; Hordeum ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Incidence ; Insurance, Health ; Juglans ; Korea ; Milk ; Nut Hypersensitivity ; Nuts ; Plants ; Prevalence ; Pyroglyphidae ; Seafood ; Soybeans ; Statistics as Topic ; Trees ; Triticum

Food allergies continue to increase exponentially and therapies that can modify the natural course of disease is a recent top priority of the research. IgE-mediated food allergy represents both a promising and an intriguing disease of application for allergen specific immunotherapy. In particular, oral immunotherapy (OIT) may offer a novel effective therapeutic modality for persistent and severe forms of food allergies. In such patients, avoidance of the causative foods only may be insufficient because of the risk of unplanned exposure to causative foods. In patients with cow's milk, hen's egg, and peanut allergies, several recently published studies, including meta-analysis, confirmed the overall benefit of OIT. However, the definitive evidence of efficacy and safety with long-term therapeutic or disease-modifying effects is limited. In current protocols, entry indications, and initial-escalating-maintenance doses, the form of antigens, durations, and follow-up periods await to be standardized. Most of the clinical trials of OIT demonstrate effective desensitization, but the ability for inducing long-term tolerance remains to be improved, and the ratio of risks versus benefits of OIT should be considered in detail. The ultimate goal is extending OIT to primary care practice, but at this time, OIT remains within the purview of allergy specialists in terms of associated risk-benefit ratios, related safety, and long-term tolerance induction.
Food Hypersensitivity* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunotherapy* ; Milk ; Ovum ; Peanut Hypersensitivity ; Primary Health Care ; Specialization

Asia is a populous and diverse region and potentially an important source of information on food allergy. This review aims to summarize the current literature on food allergy from this region, comparing it with western populations. A PubMed search using strategies "Food allergy AND Asia", "Food anaphylaxis AND Asia", and "Food allergy AND each Asian country" was made. Overall, 53 articles, published between 2005 and 2012, mainly written in English were reviewed. The overall prevalence of food allergy in Asia is somewhat comparable to the West. However, the types of food allergy differ in order of relevance. Shellfish is the most common food allergen from Asia, in part due to the abundance of seafood in this region. It is unique as symptoms vary widely from oral symptoms to anaphylaxis for the same individual. Data suggest that house dust mite tropomysin may be a primary sensitizer. In contrast, peanut prevalence in Asia is extremely low compared to the West for reasons not yet understood. Among young children and infants, egg and cow's milk allergy are the two most common food allergies, with prevalence data comparable to western populations. Differences also exist within Asia. Wheat allergy, though uncommon in most Asian countries, is the most common cause of anaphylaxis in Japan and Korea, and is increasing in Thailand. Current food allergy data from Asia highlights important differences between East and West, and within the Asian region. Further work is needed to provide insight on the environmental risk factors accounting for these differences.
Anaphylaxis ; Arachis ; Asia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Child ; Epidemiology ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Infant ; Japan ; Korea ; Milk Hypersensitivity ; Ovum ; Prevalence ; Pyroglyphidae ; Risk Factors ; Seafood ; Shellfish ; Thailand ; Wheat Hypersensitivity

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of food allergy is increasing all over the world including in Asia. Diagnosis of food allergy in Asia is usually made after family complaints or by elimination and/or reintroduction foods. This could lead to an inaccurate diagnosis and to incorrect information on epidemiology of food allergy. We, herein, reported results of a 16-year experience (1996–2012) of oral food challenge (OFC) performed in pediatric patients at a major teaching hospital in Thailand. OBJECTIVE: The major objectives of this report are to review types of foods selected for oral challenges, frequency of positive/negative challenges to these foods and the clinical reactions during challenges among these children. METHODS: Medical records of 206 children underwent OFC between 1996 and 2012 for various indications at the Allergy clinic of Pediatric Department, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (age range, 4 months to 17 years) were retrospectively reviewed. Data including clinical data, skin prick test results and specific IgE levels were analyzed with respect to challenge results (positive/negative). During the period of the study, 2 separate investigations on shrimp allergy and wheat allergy were conducted. RESULTS: Sixty of 206 children (29%) had positive OFC, whereas 84 out of 306 OFC (27.5%) were positive. The most common food giving positive challenges in this study was shrimp (40%). Among children less than 3 years of age, the most common food with positive challenge was wheat (70%) whereas among children 3 years of age or older, shellfish was the most common food (42%). Cutaneous reactions were the most common reactions observed. CONCLUSION: Only 1 of 3 of children underwent OFC in this study had positive challenges. Shrimp was the most common food causing challenge in this study especially among children older than 3 year of age. Wheat has become another leading food besides cow's milk and egg in causing positive OFC in younger children in Thailand.
Asia ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Medical Records ; Milk ; Ovum ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Shellfish ; Skin ; Thailand ; Triticum ; Wheat Hypersensitivity

Recently, the peanut allergy has been of great concern because its prevalence and life-threatening events are increasing in North America and Europe. Peanut is the most common food to cause fatal and near-fatal food allergy. The threshold of clinical reactivity can be very low. Approximately 50% of young children with egg allergy develop oral tolerance to egg by age 5 years, while about 80% of young children will react to peanuts after this age. Current treatment is strict avoidance of all peanut products and timely treatment of accidental ingestions with antihistamines and self-injectable epinephrine. Several factors of processing and cooking methods of peanut can explain the differences of the rate of peanut allergy among the countries. However, it is expected that the prevalence of peanut allergy will increase in Korea because westernized dietary pattern are getting popular. This review focuses on current understandings of peanut allergy including immunologic characteristics of peanut, diagnosis, recommendation, and recent researches for new treatment of peanut allergy.
Arachis ; Child ; Cooking ; Diagnosis ; Egg Hypersensitivity ; Epinephrine ; Europe ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Histamine Antagonists ; Humans ; Korea ; North America ; Ovum ; Peanut Hypersensitivity* ; Prevalence

Recently, the peanut allergy has been of great concern because its prevalence and life-threatening events are increasing in North America and Europe. Peanut is the most common food to cause fatal and near-fatal food allergy. The threshold of clinical reactivity can be very low. Approximately 50% of young children with egg allergy develop oral tolerance to egg by age 5 years, while about 80% of young children will react to peanuts after this age. Current treatment is strict avoidance of all peanut products and timely treatment of accidental ingestions with antihistamines and self-injectable epinephrine. Several factors of processing and cooking methods of peanut can explain the differences of the rate of peanut allergy among the countries. However, it is expected that the prevalence of peanut allergy will increase in Korea because westernized dietary pattern are getting popular. This review focuses on current understandings of peanut allergy including immunologic characteristics of peanut, diagnosis, recommendation, and recent researches for new treatment of peanut allergy.
Arachis ; Child ; Cooking ; Diagnosis ; Egg Hypersensitivity ; Epinephrine ; Europe ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Histamine Antagonists ; Humans ; Korea ; North America ; Ovum ; Peanut Hypersensitivity* ; Prevalence

No abstract available.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Milk Hypersensitivity* ; Milk*

BACKGROUND: IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most common food allergies in infants. It is still controversial whether the early introduction of cow's milk formula (CMF) prevents the development of CMA. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the duration and frequency of CMF ingestion as compere with exclusive breast-fed for preventing CMA in high-risk infants. METHODS: We enrolled the patients diagnosed with hen's egg allergy by an oral food challenge. A questionnaire was completed by the caregivers of the patients regarding the timing of introduction and discontinuation of CMF, and the frequency of CMF ingestion. Based on the information, we analyzed the relationship between the duration and frequency of CMF ingestion and the development of CMA at 3–24 months of age. RESULTS: Three hundred seventy-four patients were analyzed; 171 were diagnosed with CMA (45.7%). The analyzed patients (n = 374) were categorized into the following subgroups: exclusively breast-fed (breast-fed group, n = 75); discontinued ingestion of CMF before 3 months of age (temporary group, n = 177); continuous ingestion of CMF, but not daily, up to 3 months of age (nondaily group, n = 47); continuous ingestion of CMF at least once daily (daily group, n = 75). The incidence of developing CMA between the breast-fed group and temporary group did not show any statistical difference. Nondaily group and daily group had significantly lower incidence of developing CMA in comparison to the breast-fed group (nondaily group odds ratio 0.43; p = 0.02, daily group odds ratio 0.11; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Ingestion of CMF during the first 3 months of life might prevent the development of CMA in high-risk infants.
Breast Feeding ; Caregivers ; Eating ; Egg Hypersensitivity ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant Formula ; Milk Hypersensitivity ; Milk ; Odds Ratio