Food allergy and its risk factors in pre-school children in Guangdong province：an epidemiological survey

Abstract:

Objective：To investigate the food allergy（FA） and its risk factors in pre-school children in Guangdong province through a self-designed questionnaire，to deepen the understanding of FA in children，to provide evidences for prevention and treatment of al－lergic diseases in children. Methods：Questionnaire was designed according to the epidemiological characteristics of local allergic diseases in Guangdong province. Parents of kindergarten children in different areas in Guangdong province were selected to fill in the questionnaire. Relevant investigators followed the parents were investigated by phone call to confirm the effectiveness of the question－naires collected. Results were analyzed by descriptive statistics，Chi-square test，logistic regression model and Spearman correlation analysis. Results：（1）Of 2 761 copies of questionnaires，2 540 were valid and 221 were invalid，giving a valid answer rate of 92%. Of the valid copies，1 331 were male（52.4%） and 1 209 were female（47.6 %），with an average age of （4.6±1.1） years. Questionnaire results demonstrated that incidence of FA was 4.0% and the common allergic symptoms were skin symptoms. Common food items leading to adverse food reactions were seafood（shrimp 4.4%，crabs 3.2%，fish 0.6%），high-protein food（milk and dairy products 1.9%，egg white 1.4%，beef 0.7%），dried fruit and seeds（peanut 0.4%，soybeans 0.2%，cashew nuts，hazelnuts，almonds and other nuts 0.1%），and fruit（mango 2.3%）. （2）Eggs，milk and milk prod－ucts were the most common food leading to adverse food reac－tions in children aged 0-3 years. This ratio was reduced dra－matically after the age of four. （3）Based on logistic regression analysis，we found that if the first degree relatives suffered from FA（OR=9.683（5.261-17.822），Ρ=0.000） and allergy rhinitis（OR=1.958（1.029-3.727），Ρ=0.041），the risk of children suffered from FA would increased. （4）Relevance of various types of allergy revealed were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis，the results demonstrated that there were statistical differences in correlation coefficients among FA and drug allergy（rs=0.049，Ρ=0.035），atopic dermatitis（rs=0.052，Ρ=0.023），bronchial asthma（rs=0.051，Ρ=0.025），eye allergy（rs=0.071，Ρ=0.002） and allergic rhinitis（rs=0.059，Ρ=0.01）. Conclusions：Incidence of FA in children in Guangdong province is higher than expectation，close to those in the United States and Europe，though the allergens are not completely consistent. Although allergy to high-protein molecules is common in infants whose gastrointestinal function is immature，allergy to milk，dairy products and eggs will be reduced with increasingly improved diges－tive function and the immune system in most young children. The best method for managing FA is not to eat allergenic food and the best way to determine FA for children who have allergies or have a family history of allergy is go to the hospital for a test.