Food allergen sensitization patterns in a large allergic population in Mexico

Although food allergy is recognized as a growing worldwide public health problem, there continues to be limited data on prevalence rates in developing and emerging countries. Most prevalence estimates are based on self-reports, with only few studies using objective assessments. The aim was to analyze the frequency of sensitization to food allergens by serum specific IgE in a large group of unselected allergic patients in Mexico.

We analyzed data registries from patients of all ages with suspected food allergy referred to a specialized laboratory in Mexico City from January 2016 to April 2018. A descriptive analysis, and an age/food-group comparison were made.

A total of 2633 subjects tested for food allergy were identified during the study period; 1795 subjects fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The overall positivity (sIgE≥0.35kUA/L) to at least one food was 24%. The most frequently positive foods were hazelnut, apple, shrimp, peanut, egg white, egg yolk, peach, almond, tomato, bean, milk, strawberry, kiwi, maize and wheat. Positivity for some foods was more frequent across different age groups, in young children (≤5 years) milk; in older children (6-17 years): peanut, almond, wheat, soy and maize; in adults: apple. We also found other foods with high positivity but less than 50 samples: rye 60%, mango 42.9%, carrot 37.5%, cashew 27.3%, banana 21.1% and oat 20.6%.

Our study reported the presence of a differential regional IgE sensitization pattern as compared with the internationally reported one, highlighting the importance of local staple foods.