Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2005 Jun;15(2):170-173.

Anaphylaxis to Curry Powder in Childhood

• Choi WS
• Han SR
• Kim TH
• Cho GL
• Han YS
• Jung JA
• Jung ES
• Ahn KM
• Lee SI
• Kim JH
• Lee JS

Abstract

A 15-year old boy visited Samsung Medical Center complaining that when he ate curry and rice two months ago, he developed immediate palatal itching, generalized urticaria, headache and dyspnea. His chest radiographs were normal. He had no history of allergy, but a methacholine provocation challenge test revealed positive findings (PC20 3.62 mg/mL). Skin prick tests revealed positive findings to asparagus, house dust mites (Dp, Df), flower pollens (aster, chrysanthemum, golden rod), weed pollens (mugwort, ragweed, dandelion, short ragweed) and crude extract of curry powder. Specific IgE to Dp, Df and soy bean were positive (6.52, 31.2 and 1.91 kU/L) and total IgE was 1, 207 kU/L by the Pharmacia UniCAP- FEIA. After receiving parental consent, we performed an oral provocation test to confirm the relationship between his symptoms and curry powder. He ingested a small amount of curry powder with pure water, which was increased every 1 hour. We then measured his PEFR every 10 minutes after each subsequent curry powder ingestion. After he ate 20 gm of curry powder in one time, he exhibited profuse sweating, skin rash and dyspnea. When we treated him with epinephrine and bronchodilator, his symptoms improved. He developed the same symptoms 2 hours later, but these symptoms were brought under control by the same medication.

Keyword

Curry; Anaphylaxis

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Ambrosia
Anaphylaxis*
Chrysanthemum
Dyspnea
Eating
Epinephrine
Exanthema
Flowers
Headache
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Immunoglobulin E
Male
Methacholine Chloride
Parental Consent
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate
Pollen
Pruritus
Pyroglyphidae
Radiography, Thoracic
Skin
Soybeans
Sweat
Sweating
Taraxacum
Urticaria
Water
Epinephrine
Immunoglobulin E
Methacholine Chloride
Water