Clinical Features and Culprit Food Allergens of Korean Adult Food Allergy Patients: A Cross-Sectional Single-Institute Study
10.4168/aair.2019.11.5.723
- Author:
Sang Chul LEE
1
;
Sung Ryeol KIM
;
Kyung Hee PARK
;
Jae Hyun LEE
;
Jung Won PARK
Author Information
1. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. parkjw@yuhs.ac
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Adults;
food allergy;
food allergen;
anaphylaxis;
Korea
- MeSH:
Adult;
Allergens;
Anaphylaxis;
Arachis;
Bombyx;
Diagnosis;
Fagopyrum;
Food Hypersensitivity;
Fruit;
Humans;
Hypersensitivity;
Immunoglobulin E;
Immunoglobulins;
Juglans;
Korea;
Milk;
Ovum;
Pollen;
Pupa;
Red Meat;
Retrospective Studies;
Shellfish;
Skin;
Triticum
- From:Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research
2019;11(5):723-735
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: To investigate the causative allergens and clinical characteristics of Korean adult patients with food allergy (FA). METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional single-institutional study enrolled Korean adult patients (n = 812) suspected of having FA. For diagnosis, causality assessment history taking, ImmunoCAP specific immunoglobulin E measurement and/or skin prick test were performed. RESULTS: Among 812 patients, 415 were diagnosed as having FA. The most common causative allergen was fruit, with a diagnosis of pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS: 155, 37.3%), followed by crustaceans (111, 26.7%), wheat (63, 15.1%), fruits in patients without PFAS(43, 10.3%), buckwheat (31, 7.4%), peanut (31, 7.4%), walnut (25, 6.0%), red meat due to reaction to galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal) (8, 1.9%), and silkworm pupa (13, 3.1%). Allergy to egg, milk, fish, or shellfish was rare in Korean adults. One-third of patients with FA exhibited multiple FAs (238/415, 57.3%); the average number of causative allergens was 2.39. About 129 patients (31.0%) were diagnosed as having anaphylaxis; in these patients, wheat was the most frequent causative food. Twenty patients were further diagnosed with food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA); all were due to wheat. In particular, crustaceans, wheat, PFAS, buckwheat, and red meat (α-Gal) were also frequent causes of anaphylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: Wheat, fruits with or without PFAS, and crustaceans are important and frequent causative allergens in Korean adult FA; these allergens differ from those found in childhood FA. It is notable that non-classic allergies, such as PFAS, FDEIA, and α-Gal allergy, are the important causes of anaphylaxis in Korean adult FA.
