Are infants with food allergies candidate for allergic diseases of the respiratory tract?

Abstract

Background:Allergic sensitization usuallydevelops against food allergens in infancyand to inhalant allergens in the older.Although having food allergies is consid-ered a risk factor for development ofasthma according to the modified APIindex, such a relationship has not beenestablished for allergic rhinitis. Our goal isto investigate inhalant allergen sensitivityand frequency of allergic diseases of respi-ratory tract after the age of five in infantswith milk and/or egg allergies.Method:Children with milk and/or eggallergy proven by oral provocation test,that were followed up by Izmir Dr. BehcetUZ children0s Hospital0s Allergy Clinicbetween the dates 01.01.2010 31.12.2015,were involved in this retrospective cross-sectional study. All patients were per-formed skin prick test (SPT) involvingmajor inhalant allergens. Patient demo-graphics, concomitant allergic diseases andaeroallergens they were sensitive have beenrecorded.Results:The study included a total of 51patients and 36 (70.5%) were male. 16 ofthe cases (31.4%) had only milk, 16(31.4%) only eggs and 19 (37.2%) hadboth milk and egg allergies. The averageageofinhalantSPTwas68.78 11.96 months. 19 of the cases(37.3%) were found to be sensitive to inha-lant allergens. 10 of the cases (19.6%) weresensitive to only domestic allergens, 6 (%11.8) to only pollen and 3 (5.9%) to both.11 of the cases (%21.5) were being fol-lowed up with the diagnosis of allergicrhinitis and 2 with asthma. The remaining6 patients lacking clinical signs were con-sidered as only sensitization. There wereno correlation between inhalant allergensensitization and food-specific IgE levelsidentified during the diagnosis of foodallergy and the diameter of SPT endura-tion. Also, when subjects were groupedaccording to the type of nutrients theywere sensitive (milk, eggs, or milk+eggs) nostatistically significant difference wasdetected between the groups in terms ofdevelopment of inhalant allergen sensitivity(P>0.05).Conclusion:Inhalant allergen sensitivityand development of respiratory allergyincluding allergic rhinitis are high ininfants with milk and/or egg allergies.Although tolerance to food allergens usually develops, patient monitoring isrequired for probable allergic respiratorydiseases that may occur.