The potential anti-inflammatory role of adiponectin in food allergy: a case-control study on children

We aimed to assess the possible relationship between food allergy and two key adipokines - leptin and adiponectin - in children with food allergy. A total of forty patients with definite diagnosis of food allergy according to clinical history and specific IgE (sIgE) for food allergens (group I) were enrolled in this pilot study. The control group (group II) included thirty children with no evidence of allergic symptoms. Serum levels of leptin and adiponectin were measured by ELISA. Meanwhile, sIgE was measured for the eight most common food allergens by the immunoblot method in all participants. The median ages in groups I and II were 18·5 and 23·5 months, respectively. The respective Caesarean section rate was 64·9 and 16·7 % in groups I and II (P<0·001). Serum levels of adiponectin were significantly higher in the patient group compared with controls (24·11 (sd 12·14) v. 10·67 (sd 12·23) μg/ml, P<0·001), whereas no statistically meaningful difference was detected in serum leptin concentrations (P=0·92). There was a significant inverse relationship between age and adiponectin levels in group I (P=0·002, r -0·479) and group II (P=0·04, r -0·365), and it was more significant in group I. The most common allergens in the patient group were wheat (52·5 %), hazelnut (52·5 %), cow's milk (50 %) and egg white (30 %). The results of this study suggest an essential link between adiponectin and food allergy that is probably unlikely to be affected by obesity as a confounding factor.