Special section: Food allergyPrevalence of challenge-proven IgE-mediated food allergy using population-based sampling and predetermined challenge criteria in infants
Section snippets
Population-based recruitment
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia with a population of almost 4 million5 and is located on the coast of southeastern Australia. The HealthNuts study methods have been previously described elsewhere.6 Briefly, parents of infants aged between 11 and 15 months (inclusive) attending childhood immunization (recommended to take place at 12 months) at over 120 locations across Melbourne were approached to take part in the HealthNuts study. Parents were not informed before attending the
Results
Between September 28, 2007, and January 18, 2010, a total of 3898 parents/guardians were approached, and 2848 agreed to participate (73.1%). The average age of participating infants was 12.7 months (SD, 0.8). Of those who decided not to participate, 99.1% (1041/1050) completed the nonparticipant interview. Of those agreeing to participate, 1.6% (45) were not skin prick–tested at the immunization session because they had recently had a SPT performed by their own doctor.
Discussion
We have demonstrated that in a study representative of the Melbourne population, IgE-mediated food allergy is higher than expected, with over 10% of 1-year-old infants having challenge-proven food allergy to 1 of the most common 3 IgE-mediated allergies: peanut, egg, and sesame. This is in the context of unexpectedly high sensitization rates to these foods and high rates of infant-onset eczema in Australia. By contrast, the cumulative incidence of parent-reported IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy
References (26)
- et al.
The impact of government advice to pregnant mothers regarding peanut avoidance on the prevalence of peanut allergy in United Kingdom children at school entry
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2007) Update on food allergy
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2004)- et al.
Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys
Lancet
(2006) - et al.
Early consumption of peanuts in infancy is associated with a low prevalence of peanut allergy
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2008) - et al.
Is the prevalence of peanut allergy increasing? a 5-year follow-up study in children in Montreal
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2009) - et al.
Prevalence of peanut and tree nut allergy in the United States determined by means of a random digit dial telephone survey: a 5-year follow-up study
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2003) - et al.
The prevalence of food allergy: a meta-analysis
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2007) Anaphylactic reactions to raw eggs after negative challenges with cooked eggs
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2000)- et al.
Consumption of heat-treated egg by children allergic or sensitized to egg can affect the natural course of egg allergy: hypothesis-generating observations
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2008) - et al.
The natural history of egg allergy
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2007)
Prediction of tolerance on the basis of quantification of egg white-specific IgE antibodies in children with egg allergy
J Allergy Clin Immunol
Diagnosing and managing common food allergies: a systematic review
JAMA
The importance of early complementary feeding in the development of oral tolerance: concerns and controversies
Pediatr Allergy Immunol
Cited by (839)
Infant Whole-Cell Versus Acellular Pertussis Vaccination in 1997 to 1999 and Risk of Childhood Hospitalization for Food-Induced Anaphylaxis: Linked Administrative Databases Cohort Study
2024, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In PracticeComprehensive Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment of Sesame Allergy
2024, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In PracticeRevised Swedish infant feeding guidelines are associated with earlier introduction of allergenic foods
2024, Journal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyEgg allergy and yellow fever vaccination
2024, Jornal de PediatriaAra h 2 Peptide Mix Improves the Diagnosis of Peanut Allergy and Is Relevant for Ara h 2–Induced Mast Cell Activation
2023, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In PracticeCashew Allergy Prevalence and Sensitization in 1-Year-Old Infants
2023, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice
Supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation, AnaphylaxiStop, the Charles and Sylvia Viertel Medical Research Foundation, and the Australian Egg Corp Ltd.
Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: K. J. Allen receives honoraria for speakers' fees from Wyeth and receives research support from the Australian Egg Corp. N. J. Osborne receives research support from the Australian Egg Corp. A. J. Lowe receives research support from the National Health and Medical Research Council. A.-L. Ponsonby receives research support from the National Health and Medical Research Council. M. Wake receives research support from the National Health and Medical Research Council. M. L. K. Tang is an advisory board member for the Nestlé Nutrition Institute. The rest of the authors have declared that they have no conflict of interest.