Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2017 Jan;5(1):27-33. 10.4168/aard.2017.5.1.27.

Food allergic reactions in the community: a questionnaire survey of caregivers

• Seo AD
• Lee JY
• Yang SI
• Lee HR
• Lee SY

• KMID: 2368573
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2017.5.1.27

Abstract

PURPOSE
Food allergies are adverse immune reactions to food. Despite their importance, there have only been a few studies conducted on situations that may cause food allergies in Korean children. This study aims to obtain basic data that are necessary to provide information on food allergies to both patients and caregivers.
METHODS
In this study, a survey was conducted on 97 caregivers of patients below 18 years old. The patients' situation upon occurrence of food allergy was examined by a questionnaire.
RESULTS
Approximately 89.7% of the patients were at 6 years of age or younger. The most common allergens were eggs (37%) and milk (28%) in a total of 163 cases, including multiple responses. Skin symptoms were most common (77.8%). At the time of occurrence, 85% of the patients were with their parents. As for the exposure place, house was 65%, followed by restaurant (16%), nursery (7%), and relative's or neighbor's house (4%). Exclusive of unknown cases, the most common reason of exposure was the caregiver giving the food to the patient for reconfirmation (13.6%).
CONCLUSION
It is concluded that the understanding of food allergies based on this research will assist in the management of patients with food allergies.

Keyword

Food hypersensitivity; Education; Survey and questionnaires

MeSH Terms

Allergens
Caregivers*
Child
Education
Eggs
Food Hypersensitivity
Humans
Hypersensitivity*
Milk
Nurseries
Ovum
Parents
Restaurants
Skin
Allergens

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