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. 2021 Feb 5;57(2):146.
doi: 10.3390/medicina57020146.

Prevalence of Food-Hypersensitivity and Food-Dependent Anaphylaxis in Colombian Schoolchildren by Parent-Report

Carlos Eduardo Beltrán-Cárdenas  1 , Diana María Granda-Restrepo  2 , Alejandro Franco-Aguilar  2 , Veronica Lopez-Teros  3 , Aldo Alejandro Arvizu-Flores  3 , Feliznando Isidro Cárdenas-Torres  1 , Noé Ontiveros  4 , Francisco Cabrera-Chávez  1 , Jesús Gilberto Arámburo-Gálvez  1   3
Affiliations

Prevalence of Food-Hypersensitivity and Food-Dependent Anaphylaxis in Colombian Schoolchildren by Parent-Report

Carlos Eduardo Beltrán-Cárdenas et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Background and objectives: The epidemiology of food allergy (FA) and food-dependent anaphylaxis remains unknown in Colombia. Our aim was to estimate by parent-report the prevalence of FA and food-dependent anaphylaxis in a Colombian population of schoolchildren. Materials and methods: A printed questionnaire was sent to parents of schoolchildren aged 5-12 years old from Medellín, Colombia in order to collect FA-related data. Results: Nine hundred and sixty-nine (969) parents returned the questionnaire with valid responses (response rate, 52.5%). The estimated prevalence rates (95% CI) were: adverse food reactions 12.79% (10.76-15.07), "perceived FA, ever" 10.93% (9.08-13.08), "physician-diagnosed FA, ever" 4.33% (3.14-5.81), "immediate-type FA, ever" 6.81% (5.30-8.58), "immediate-type FA, current" 3.30% (2.26-4.63), and food-dependent anaphylaxis 1.85% (1.10-2.92). The most frequently reported food allergens were milk (1.44%), fruits (0.41%), meat (0.41%), and peanut (0.3%). Sixty-one percent of "food-dependent anaphylaxis" cases sought medical attention, but only eleven percent of the cases reported the prescription of an epinephrine autoinjector. Conclusions: FA and food-dependent anaphylaxis are not uncommon among schoolchildren from Colombia. The prescription of epinephrine autoinjectors should be encouraged among health personnel for the optimal management of suspected cases of food-dependent anaphylaxis.

Keywords: children; epidemiology; food allergens; food allergy; food-dependent anaphylaxis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Algorithm, definitions, and criteria for food-dependent anaphylaxis cases utilized in this study. (A) Algorithm and definitions utilized in this study. (B) Criteria for food-dependent anaphylaxis according to the World Allergy Organization anaphylaxis guidelines [16].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Foods and symptoms associated with adverse food reactions. (A) Prevalence of foods associated with adverse food reactions in Colombian schoolchildren (n = 969), in brackets are shown 95% confidence intervals; (B) prevalence of symptoms in Colombian schoolchildren with reported adverse food reactions (n = 124).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Specific food allergens and symptoms associated with “immediate-type food allergy (FA), current”. (A) Prevalence by food of “immediate-type FA, current” in Colombian schoolchildren (n = 969), in brackets are shown 95% confidence intervals; (B) frequency of specific symptoms in Colombian schoolchildren with “immediate-type FA, current” (n = 32).
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