title: The role of food allergens in childhood asthma.
abstract: Eighty-eight patients' sera with allergen-specific IgE levels elevated only to food allergens were collected between October 1997 and March 2002 at the National Taiwan University Hospital. Thirty-three of the patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of asthma and were included. Most (72.7%) patients had elevated serum allergen-specific IgE levels only to one food allergen. The most common food allergens were milk and egg white. The patients with elevated soy bean-specific IgE levels had significantly higher levels of serum food allergen-specific IgE than those with either elevated milk or egg white-specific IgE levels. This study investigated some food allergen responses of asthmatic patients whose serum allergen-specific IgE levels were elevated only to food allergens. The results suggested that the allergic asthmatic response in our patients was most likely related to food rather than aeroallergens or fungal allergens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jyh-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yu-Tsan
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Bor-Luen
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Chiang
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D005502:Food / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D015415:Biomarkers; D007073:Immunoglobulin E