Parent-reported prevalence of food allergy in Mexican schoolchildren: A population-based study
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N. Ontiveros [1] ; E.E. Valdez-Meza [1] ; M.J. Vergara-Jiménez [1] ; A. Canizalez-Román [1] ; A. Borzutzky [2] ; F. Cabrera-Chávez [1]
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[1] Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa
Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa
México
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[2] Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Santiago, Chile
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- Localización: Allergologia et immunopathologia: International journal for clinical and investigate allergology and clinical immunology, ISSN-e 1578-1267, ISSN 0301-0546, Vol. 44, Nº. 6, 2016, págs. 563-570
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
Background Food allergy (FA) prevalence is well documented in developed countries and appears to be increasing, but remains unknown in most Latin American countries. We aimed to evaluate on a population basis the parent-reported prevalence of FA and its clinical characteristics in Mexican schoolchildren.
Methods A validated Spanish version of a structured written questionnaire was administered to parents of schoolchildren aged 5–13 years old from Culiacan, Mexico.
Results A total of 1049 parents responded to the survey (response rate, 84%). The estimated prevalence rates (95% CI) were: adverse food reactions 10.0% (8.3–11.9), “perceived FA, ever” 5.5% (4.3–7.0), “physician-diagnosed FA, ever” 4.9% (3.7–6.3), “immediate-type FA, ever” 4.4% (3.3–5.8), “immediate-type FA, current” 3.5% (2.6–4.8), and anaphylaxis 1.2% (0.72–2.1). Immediate hypersensitivity reactions were mainly triggered by the consumption of shrimp (1.3%), other shellfish (0.7%), strawberry (0.6%), chocolate (0.5%), and egg (0.4%). Schoolchildren with “immediate-type FA, current” had more atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis (p < 0.05), but not asthma or drug allergy (p > 0.05) than children without FA. All cases of anaphylaxis sought medical attention, but only one child had physician-diagnosed anaphylaxis and was advised to acquire an epinephrine autoinjector.
Conclusions The prevalence of “immediate-type FA, current” to any food is 3.5% in Mexican schoolchildren. The poor recognition of anaphylaxis and the low frequency of prescription of epinephrine autoinjectors suggest that acute food-induced allergic reactions are not optimally managed in Mexico.
