Food Intolerance of Unknown Origin: Caused by Mucosal Inflammation? A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Immunology
• Allergy

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of food intolerance (FI) and limitations of current diagnostic methods.
• Need for better characterization of gut-mediated FI and food allergies (FA).

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate methods for determining intestinal mucosal IgE in FA patients.
• Characterize intestinal mucosa in FI patients of unknown origin (FH).

Main Methods:

• Ileocolonoscopy with lavage, cytobrush, and biopsy forceps for mucosal sampling.
• Analysis of IgE antibodies, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in intestinal samples.
• Comparison of patients with FA, FH, and healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Intestinal mucosal homogenates showed highest sensitivity for IgE antibody detection.
• FA patients had increased intestinal TNF-α and low IFN-γ.
• FH patients exhibited low intestinal IgE and TNF-α, but increased IFN-γ.

Conclusions:

• Intestinal mucosal IgE determination is reliable for diagnosing intestinal IgE-mediated FA.
• Elevated TNF-α and low IFN-γ indicate allergic reactions in FA.
• Decreased TNF-α and increased IFN-γ suggest inflammation-related intolerance in FH.