Sensitization to Food Allergens in Mureș Region Atopic Children by in vitro Specific Ig E Assay

Background: Food allergies are adverse immune reactions to food proteins that affect up to 6% of children. There are little data regarding the frequency of different foods that cause hypersensitivity in Romania.
Objective: To determine the frequency of sensitization to food allergens in children seen in pediatric immuno-allergy services from Tîrgu Mureș, Romania.
Patients and methods: Specific Ig E serum levels to allergens were measured in 113 children in pediatric allergy services and in 36 control children with matching ages. RAST equal or higher than class 1 was considered as positive.
Results: Frequency of positive reaction was significantly higher among atopics (92/113; 81.4%) when compared to controls (8/36; 25.8%). There were little differences according to gender. The frequency of positive reaction to all evaluated allergens was higher among atopics when compared to controls. In relation to food allergens we observed: cow’s milk = 46.9% x 2.8% (p <0.05), egg = 11.5% x 0.0% (p <0.05). With respect to age, food allergen sensitization predominates in young children.
Conclusions: Food allergens were responsible for a significant proportion of sensitization, mainly in infants.