Sensitization to inhalant allergens in children diagnosed with food hypersensitivity

In order to characterize the profile of inhalant allergen sensitizations in patients with food hypersensitivity, we carried out a screening process using a standard panel of inhalant allergens by SPT. We screened 437 patients (mean age 5.4 years, 4.1 SD) who showed anti-allergen IgE to one or several foods, determined by both SPT and RAST. In each case in which a positive SPT to inhalant appeared, a new individualized search for these allergens was performed by both SPT and Phadezym RAST. We found sensitization to aeroallergens in 272 of the 437 children (62%) with sensitization to foods (52% of all patients were sensitized to pollens, 17% to dermatophagoides, and 26% to animal allergens). The number with sensitization to aeroallergens was proportionally increased in relation to the number of food sensitizations (p < 0.05). Sensitization to pollen allergen were found with higher frequency (p < 0.001) in patients with sensitization to fruits, legumes, and other vegetables (mainly walnuts, chestnuts, melons, or sunflower seeds) than in those sensitive to foods of animal origin. Sensitization to dermatophagoides and animal allergens did not show any special distribution relative to the kind of food sensitization. Seventeen patients with sensitization to egg showed sensitization to avian feathers. This type of sensitization did not appear in the remainder of patients evaluated.