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. 2025 Apr;77(4):1768-1774.
doi: 10.1007/s12070-025-05397-5. Epub 2025 Mar 3.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Oral Allergy Syndrome among Mexican Adults: A Survey-Based Study: Oral Allergy Syndrome

Martín Bedolla-Barajas  1 , Maximiliano César Iñiguez-Martín Del Campo  2 , Jaime Morales-Romero  3 , Tonatiuh Ramses Bedolla-Pulido  4 , Dante Daniel Hernández-Colín  1 , María Enriqueta Nuñez-Nuñez  5
Affiliations

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Oral Allergy Syndrome among Mexican Adults: A Survey-Based Study: Oral Allergy Syndrome

Martín Bedolla-Barajas et al. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Aims: To determine the prevalence of OAS in Mexican adults and identify the main foods and factors associated with this condition.

Methods: A survey was conducted on a sample of adults aged 18 to 50 years using stratified probabilistic sampling based on the participants' age and sex. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with OAS, and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated.

Results: The study included 1,091 adults (46.7% women; mean age 27.6 years). Of these, 196 (18.0%) had food hypersensitivity and 64 out of 1,091 had OAS (prevalence: 5.9%; 95% CI: 4.5 - 7.4%). The food groups most associated with OAS were fruits (28/64, 43.8%), seafood (21/64, 32.8%), and nuts (12/64, 18.8%). Individually, the most frequent foods were shrimp (31.3%), pecans (14.1%), peach (10.9%), kiwi (10.9%), and strawberry (7.8%). There was a significant association of OAS with allergic rhinitis (aOR: 2.85, p = 0.001), urticaria (aOR: 18.48, p < 0.001), and a family history of atopy (aOR: 2.29, p = 0.006).

Conclusions: This study suggests that the prevalence of OAS in adults as a manifestation of food hypersensitivity is a common event (64/196, 32.6%). Foods such as fruits, seafood, and nuts are strongly related to its occurrence.

Keywords: Adults; Cross-sectional study; Food; Food hypersensitivity; Prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of InterestThe authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article.

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