title: [Subjective perception of hypersensitivity to selected additives-containing foods in children and adolescents from schools in Bialystok].
abstract: The incidence of adverse reactions to food additives is difficult to establish and therefore not completely known. The aim of the present study is an attempt to determine the actual incidence of this problem in the population of school-age children and adolescents. The current work is the preliminary stage of this study and contains recapitulation of information obtained from parents and foster-parents of 5044 children aged 6-16 years from Białystok. Analysis of data has revealed that 9.8% of children complain of undesired symptoms after consumption of additive-containing foods. The problem referred to younger children statistically significantly more frequently (p < 0.05), while no correlation was found with sex (47.9% boys, 52.1% girls). The foods most frequently associated with adverse symptoms appeared to be: sparkling drinks e.g. Coca-Cola, orangeade--9% and sweets products (e.g. chewing-gums, crisps, sweets, cakes)--6.4%. The most common symptoms related to the consumption of additive-rich foods were: abdominal pain--9.9%, cutaneous rash--8.8%, cough and rhinitis--5.5% and 5.6%, headache--4.9%. The preliminary findings should be verified using double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge tests in order to establish the actual incidence of food additive intolerance.
authors.affiliation: Zakład Propedeutyki Pediatrii Akademii Medycznej w Białymstoku.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zagórecka
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaczmarski
authors.forename: Janina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piotrowska-Jastrzebska
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005503:Food Additives / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005503:Food Additives