title: Role of specific IgE in predicting the clinical course of lentil allergy in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Legumes, and particularly lentils, are frequently consumed in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and some Asian countries. The aim of this study was to document the demographic features of children with lentil allergy and to determine the role of specific IgE (sIgE) in predicting the risk of clinical reactivity and disease persistence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty children were enrolled. The diagnosis of lentil allergy was based on convincing history of symptoms or anaphylaxis after the ingestion of lentils, with positive skin tests and/or sIgE to lentils. To determine the diagnosis and prognosis of lentil allergy, 24 children were evaluated with food challenges.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median age at the onset of symptoms was 1.5 yr (0.9-2.3) (inter-quartile range). The most frequent symptoms were immediate cutaneous (97%) and respiratory (30%) reactions, whereas eight patients (27%) reported anaphylactic reactions. The median level of lentil sIgE at the time of diagnosis was 3 kU/l (1.2-9.6). Of the 24 challenges, 12 were positive. Fifteen patients (50%) outgrew the lentil allergy by the age of 3.5 (2.5-11) years. Children with an initial lentil sIgE < 4.9 kU/l had a significantly higher likelihood (68.4% vs. 18.2%) of outgrowing the lentil allergy than children with an initial lentil sIgE ≥ 4.9 k/l (p = 0.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that sIgE levels may be important for predicting clinical reactivity and persistence of lentil allergy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Allergy, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Suleyman T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Yavuz
authors.forename: Umit M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Sahiner
authors.forename: Betul
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buyuktiryaki
authors.forename: Ayfer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tuncer
authors.forename: Ebru A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cavkaytar
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karabulut
authors.forename: Cansin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sackesen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D027806:Lens Plant / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D012699:Serology; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007073:Immunoglobulin E