title: Epidemiological survey of pediatric food allergy in Mashhad in Northeast Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Food allergy is an increasing problem worldwide, but the foods responsible for food allergy are not the same in different countries, probably because of the role of genetic, cultural, and nutritional factors. The aim of this study was to determine the common food allergens in pediatric patients with different presentation of food allergy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, all of the patients were referred to pediatric allergy clinics affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from September 2012 to August 2014. For patients with IgE-mediated food allergy that was diagnosed with clinical manifestations, the skin prick test was done. The results were analyzed by SPSS version 17 and statistical analysis was done with the chi-squared test and the t-test. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred seventy-one patients (53.9% male, 46.1% female) with ages in the range of three months to 18 years were studied. The most frequent food allergen in all patients with decreasing prevalence were egg white (17.8%), pepper (15.8%), curry (14.3%), egg yolk (14%), cow's milk (10%), and tomato (7.8%). The most common presenting symptoms were respiratory (allergic rhinitis 45%, asthma 32%), dermatologic (atopic dermatitis 30%, urticaria 8.3%), colitis (17.5%), and gasteroesophagial reflux disease (GERD) (2%). According to the prevalence of food allergens in different age groups, we realized that, after the age of three years, the frequency of sensitization to egg white, egg yolk, cow's milk, wheat and cereals was decreased and allergy to pepper and curry was increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of culprit foods that produce food allergies depends on several factors, including age, presenting manifestation, and where the patient lives. As many food allergies are outgrown, patients should be reevaluated regularly to determine whether they have lost their reactivity or not.
authors.affiliation: MD. Allergist and Immunologist, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ahanchian
authors.affiliation: MD. Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyedali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jafari
authors.affiliation: MD. Allergist and Immunologist, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Behmanesh
authors.affiliation: MD, Fellow in training of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Allergy and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrinsadat Motevalli
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Haghi
authors.affiliation: MD. Pediatrician, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza Ataei
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nakhaei
authors.affiliation: MD. Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kiani
authors.affiliation: MD. Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Radbin
authors.affiliation: MD. Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kianifar
keywords: Iran; food allergen; food allergy; pediatrics; skin prick test