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
. 2024 Dec 10;4(1):100385.
doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2024.100385. eCollection 2025 Feb.

Prevalence of food allergy and its association with atopic dermatitis in Iran: Results from the PERSIAN birth cohort

Kylie Jungles  1 , Maryam Sharafkhah  2 , Keerthi Bansal  1 , Marjan Moallemian Isfahani  2 , Nashmia Qamar  3 , Sareh Eghtesad  2 , Roya Kelishadi  4 , Navid Danaei  5 , Amir Houshang Mehrparvar  6 , Hamid Hakimi  7 , Hossein Poustchi  8 , Mahboobeh Mahdavinia  1   8
Affiliations

Prevalence of food allergy and its association with atopic dermatitis in Iran: Results from the PERSIAN birth cohort

Kylie Jungles et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob. .

Abstract

Background: The incidence of food allergy (FA) has been increasing worldwide, causing growing concern on a global scale.

Objective: This birth cohort study analyzes the incidence of reported FA and other atopic comorbidities in children from birth to age 2 years who were living in 4 urban and semiurban areas in Iran.

Methods: Children were followed from birth until age 24 months, with follow-up questionnaires administered through parent or guardian interviews conducted when the children were aged 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 months.

Results: The rate of physician-diagnosed FA reported by parents or guardians was higher than expected, with a cumulative incidence of 7.7% in children younger than 24 months. The highest prevalence of FA was found in Yazd, the most urban of the 4 cities studied. Breast-feeding was associated with a decreased cumulative risk of FA at age 12 months, with only 5% of breast-fed children developing parent-reported pediatrician-diagnosed FA compared with 13% of infants who never received breast milk after birth.

Conclusion: This study provides valuable insight into the incidence of FA in the Middle East, which has previously not been reported on, and it is crucial in our understanding of global FA prevalence. The study demonstrates a high incidence of FA in an area with historically lower rates and confirms that breast-feeding does prevent FA during infancy in this population.

Keywords: Food allergy; atopic dermatitis; cohort.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Supported by the National Institute for Medical Research Development in Iran (grant 963809 [Role of Environmental Factors and Diet in Early-Life Gut Microbiome and Atopic Diseases in Iran]). Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Prescott S., Allen K.J. Food allergy: riding the second wave of the allergy epidemic. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2011;22:155–160. - PubMed
    1. Bilaver L.A., Chadha A.S., Doshi P., O'Dwyer L., Gupta R.S. Economic burden of food allergy: A systematic review. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2019;122:373–380.e1. - PubMed
    1. Leung A.S.Y., Wong G.W.K., Tang M.L.K. Food allergy in the developing world. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018;141:76–78.e1. - PubMed
    1. Prescott S.L., Pawankar R., Allen K.J., Campbell D.E., Sinn J., Fiocchi A., et al. A global survey of changing patterns of food allergy burden in children. World Allergy Organ J. 2013;6:21. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Woods R.K., Stoney R.M., Raven J., Walters E.H., Abramson M., Thien F.C. Reported adverse food reactions overestimate true food allergy in the community. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002;56:31–36. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources