title: Food Allergy in Korean Patients with Chronic Urticaria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The etiology of chronic urticaria (CU) remains unknown in most patients. Possible causes in some cases include food, but the role of allergy to food antigens in patients with CU remains controversial.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between food allergy and CU.
  
  
  METHODS
  Korean patients with CU were assessed for a previous history of food allergy that caused symptoms of CU. Blood samples were taken from 350 patients to measure food allergen-specific IgE. Based on history and laboratory results, open oral food challenge (OFC) tests were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 350 participants, 46 (13.1%) claimed to have experienced previous food hypersensitivity. Pork (n=16) was the main food mentioned, followed by beef (n=7), shrimp (n=6), and mackerel (n=6). We found that 73 participants (20.9%) had elevated levels of food-specific IgE, with pork (n=30), wheat (n=25), and beef (n=23) being the most common. However, when the open OFC tests were conducted in 102 participants with self-reported food hypersensitivity or raised levels of food-specific IgE, only four participants showed a positive reaction to pork (n=3) or crab (n=1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although some participants claimed to have a history of CU related to food intake, when an open OFC test was conducted, few of them had positive results. We therefore conclude that food allergy is an uncommon cause of chronic CU.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Bo Young
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Se
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye One
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chun Wook
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Food allergy; Prevalence; Urticaria