Altered serum sphingosine 1 phosphate level in food allergy and its association with disease severity

Background. Allergy is a multifactorial disease in which variant genetic and environmental factors are involved. Pathophysiology of food allergy (FA) and its natural history are poorly understood till now. Novel biomarkers and curative treatment options are strongly required. We aimed to study the significance of serum sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) level in food allergy and assess its possible correlation with disease severity. Methods. Study conducted on fifty participants diagnosed to have food allergy and another fifty group matched individuals who served as a control group.  Results. The mean food allergy severity score of patients was 2.64±1.06, in which nearly two thirds (70%) are moderate, 18% are mild and about 12% of them are severe. A statistically significant increase in median value of S1P was found in patients with food allergies when compared to the control group. The best S1P cut-off level for the prediction of food allergy was (122.35 ng/L), with a sensitivity of 97.9% and a specificity of 95.7%, with a (97%) accuracy. Regarding Spearman's rho correlation analysis, a positive significant correlation was found between serum S1P level and Food allergy severity score. Conclusions. Sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) serum level can be a diagnostic marker for food allergy and its modulation could be a modality treatment for food allergies.