[METHODS OF INGESTION IN ORAL FOOD CHALLENGE TESTS USING WHOLE-EGG POWDER]

Preparation of the food for an oral food challenge (OFC) test is complicated. We prospectively examined the results of an inpatient oral food challenge test involving the use of juice containing whole-egg powder (egg juice) prepared by NH Foods Ltd. and conducted in the Department of Pediatrics of Sagamihara National Hospital.

We prospectively evaluated the results of an egg-juice (equivalent to half of an egg) OFC test conducted in Sagamihara National Hospital between September 2014 and April 2015 in 116 cases for diagnosis or tolerance acquisition.

The OFC test positivity rate was 33%. Severity according to the anaphylaxis guidelines was grade 1 (mild; 42%), grade 2 (moderate; 53%), and grade 3 (severe; 5%) in the patients with positive test results. Among the 78 subjects with negative results for intakes at home, 92% had no symptoms, with the remaining 8% having mild symptoms but requiring no treatment. We could confirm later that all the patients could eat foods containing half of a chicken egg.

For the subjects with negative egg-juice OFC test results, eating egg products equivalent to half of an egg at home seemed to be relatively safe.