Study links asthma and food sensitization in children

AORN Journal, August, 2005

Food sensitization is highly prevalent in inner-city children who have asthma, according to a May 9, 2005, news release from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, evaluated blood serum samples from 504 four- to nine-year-old children with asthma who were randomly selected from the National Cooperative Inner City Asthma Study. Allergic sensitization was defined by the presence of specific immunogtobulin E (IgE) antibodies in the blood. The children's blood was tested for specific IgE to six common food allergens, including egg, milk, soy, peanut, wheat, and fish.

Researchers found that 45% of the children were sensitive to at least one food allergen, and children sensitive to food had higher rates of hospitalization due to asthma. Children who were sensitized to soy and fish had significantly higher rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations and increased medication use. In addition, children who were sensitized to food required more steroid medications to manage their asthma symptoms.

Previous studies have linked asthma to food allergies, but this study was the first to demonstrate a correlation between food sensitization and the severity of asthma symptoms. The presence of food sensitization may be a useful marker for identifying children with more severe asthma, according to the researchers.

Food Allergen Sensitization May Increase the Severity of Asthma in Children (news release, Milwaukee: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, May 9, 2005) http://www.aaaai.org/media/news_releases/2005/05 /050905.stm (accessed 26 May 2005).