Related Experiment Videos
Food additives intolerance: does it present as perennial rhinitis?
1Head of the Allergy Unit, San Carlo Clinic, Paderno Dugnano (MI), Italy. r.asero@libero.it
Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|April 20, 2004
Summary
Food additive intolerance may cause perennial rhinitis in some patients. This condition, previously considered nonallergic, affects approximately 5% of individuals, warranting further clinical consideration.
Area of Science:
- Allergy and Immunology
- Gastroenterology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Perennial rhinitis is often diagnosed as nonallergic.
- A 2001 case report suggested a link between perennial rhinitis and food additive intolerance.
- Further research was needed to validate this association.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent literature for controlled studies.
- To confirm the hypothesis that food additives can cause perennial rhinitis.
- To assess the prevalence of this intolerance.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of English-language literature.
- Focus on controlled studies published after 2001.
- Analysis of studies investigating food additive intolerance in nonallergic rhinitis.
Main Results:
- Two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies confirmed the link.
- Approximately 5% of patients with nonallergic perennial rhinitis showed intolerance.
- Pathogenic mechanisms underlying this intolerance remain undetermined.
Conclusions:
- Food additive intolerance can manifest as perennial rhinitis.
- Clinicians should consider additive intolerance in patients diagnosed with nonallergic rhinitis.
- This diagnosis may be overlooked in patients previously dismissed as nonallergic.