Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2018 Jan;6(1):4-13. 10.4168/aard.2018.6.1.4.

Epidemiology of food allergy in Korean children

• Min TK
• Pyun BY
• Kim HH
• Park YM
• Jang GC
• Kim HY
• Yum HY
• Kim J
• Ahn K
• Lee S
• Kim KW
• Kim YH
• Lee JM
• Kim WK
• Song TW
• Kim JH
• Lee YJ
• Jeon YH
• Lee SY
• Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy & Respiratory Diseases Food Allergy and Atopic Dermatitis Study Group

• KMID: 2403180
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2018.6.1.4

Abstract

Food allergy has emerged as an important public health problem affecting people of all ages in many countries. The prevalence varies according to age, geographic regions, and ethnicity. For several years, many studies have suggested that the prevalence of food allergy is increasing at an alarming rate, for unclear reasons. Conversely, some studies have also provided findings that sensitization to common food allergens did not increase. Increased recognition rather than an actual increase in patients with IgE-mediated food allergy might lead to the increases in the prevalence of self-reported or physician-diagnosed food allergy. It is also noted that the prevalence of food allergy differs even in the same region according to the study design, i.e., hospital-based or community-based studies. Despite these limitations, epidemiologic data are important because they provide useful information on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of food allergy. This review focuses on advances in the epidemiology of food allergy in Korean children.

Keyword

Food allergy; Epidemiology; Child

MeSH Terms

Allergens
Child*
Diagnosis
Epidemiology*
Food Hypersensitivity*
Humans
Prevalence
Public Health
Allergens

Reference

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