Patterns of quantitative food-specific IgE-antibodies and reported food hypersensitivity in 4-year-old children.
BACKGROUND
Diagnosis of food hypersensitivity (FHS) is difficult and interpretation of food allergy tests is complicated.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the probability of reported FHS in relation to levels of food-specific IgE-antibodies (AB) in a population-based setting of 4-year-old children (n = 2336).


METHODS
Information on FHS was obtained from a questionnaire and specific IgE-AB to milk, egg, fish, peanut, soy and wheat were analysed.


RESULTS
Thirty-one per cent of the children with reported FHS (n = 284) were sensitized (> or =0.35 kU(A)/l) to at least one of the tested foods compared with 11% of children without FHS (n = 2052). Furthermore, the probability of reported symptoms to milk, egg and fish increased with increasing levels of food-specific IgE-AB to the same food allergens. A similar trend was seen for peanut and wheat, but not for soy. Increasing levels of specific IgE-AB to milk or egg were also associated with an increasing risk of reported symptoms caused by other foods.


CONCLUSIONS
Quantitative measurements of IgE-AB to milk, egg and fish are useful to evaluate IgE-associated FHS in preschool children also in a population based sample. Such measurements appear to be of limited value for soy bean and wheat, in particular as a screening method.
Ostblom
E
E
Department of Pediatrics, Sachs' Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Lilja
G
G
Ahlstedt
S
S
van Hage
M
M
Wickman
M
M
D000818:Animals; D010367:Arachis / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004531:Eggs / Q000009:adverse effects; D005399:Fishes / Q000276:immunology; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008892:Milk / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D007073:Immunoglobulin E