Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Sep;74(9):1631-1648.
doi: 10.1111/all.13767. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

Genetic determinants of paediatric food allergy: A systematic review

Noor H A Suaini  1   2 , Yichao Wang  1   2 , Victoria X Soriano  1   2 , David J Martino  1   2   3 , Katrina J Allen  1   2   4   5 , Justine A Ellis  1   6   7 , Jennifer J Koplin  2   8
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Genetic determinants of paediatric food allergy: A systematic review

Noor H A Suaini et al. Allergy. 2019 Sep.

Abstract

Background: The genetic determinants of food allergy have not been systematically reviewed. We therefore systematically reviewed the literature on the genetic basis of food allergy, identifying areas for further investigation.

Methods: We searched three electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed) on 9 January 2018. Two authors screened retrieved articles for review according to inclusion criteria and extracted relevant information on study characteristics and measures of association. Eligible studies included those that reported an unaffected nonatopic control group, had genetic information and were carried out in children.

Results: Of the 2088 studies retrieved, 32 met our inclusion criteria. Five were genome-wide association studies, and the remaining were candidate gene studies. Twenty-two of the studies were carried out in a predominantly Caucasian population with the remaining 10 from Asian-specific populations or unspecified ethnicity. We found FLG, HLA, IL10, IL13, as well as some evidence for other variants (SPINK5, SERPINB and C11orf30) that are associated with food allergy.

Conclusions: Little genetic research has been carried out in food allergy, with FLG, HLA and IL13 being the most reproducible genes for an association with food allergy. Despite promising results, existing genetic studies on food allergy are inundated with issues such as inadequate sample size and absence of multiple testing correction. Few included replication analyses or population stratification measures. Studies addressing these limitations along with functional studies are therefore needed to unravel the mechanisms of action of the identified genes.

Keywords: food allergy; genetics; single nucleotide polymorphisms; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Allen KJ, Hill DJ, Heine RG. Food allergy in childhood. Med J Aust. 2006;185(7):394-400.
    1. Liu X, Zhang S, Tsai H-J, et al. Genetic and environmental contributions to allergen sensitization in a Chinese twin study. Clin Exp Allergy. 2009;39(7):991-998.
    1. Sicherer SH, Furlong TJ, Maes HH, Desnick RJ, Sampson HA, Gelb BD. Genetics of peanut allergy: a twin study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2000;106(1):53-56.
    1. Tsai H-J, Kumar R, Pongracic J, et al. Familial aggregation of food allergy and sensitization to food allergens: a family-based study. Clin Exp Allergy. 2009;39(1):101-109.
    1. Prescott SL, Pawankar R, Allen KJ, et al. A global survey of changing patterns of food allergy burden in children. World Allergy Organ J. 2013;6(1):1-12.

LinkOut - more resources