Prevalence of nut allergen sensitization among children in central Poland

Introduction:
The diagnostics of plant-derived food allergy may be challenging. However, the recognition of sensitization patterns in defined populations, especially in children, is clinically relevant as it enables the use of secondary prophylaxis to prevent life-threatening complications.

Aim:
To investigate the rates and sensitization patterns to nut allergens in children from central Poland.

Material and methods:
The retrospective assessment concerned data of 598 children diagnosed in a single centre due to suspected food allergy. The analysis included the results of component-based multiparametric assay Allergy Explorer2 (ALEX2).

Results:
The sensitization to particular nut allergens varied among patients, depending on their age and nut type. The sensitization to any nut was found in 67% of children, whereas sensitization to hazelnut and peanut was the most common (56% and 55% of all children, respectively). Hazelnut sensitization was predominant in every age, and its prevalence increased with age, while peanut sensitization was detected in more than half of individuals from all groups, except for teenagers (44% of cases). Among hazelnut molecules sensitization to Cor a 1.04 was the most prevalent (74% of sensitized children), and for peanut allergens – Ara h 1 (65% of sensitized patients). The simultaneous sensitization to hazelnut, peanut and walnut (two or all of them) was found in almost half of the entire group.

Conclusions:
Component-based diagnostics enables differentiation between primary and cross-reactive sensitization to nut allergens and detects co-sensitization. The clinical relevance of the latter observation is remarkable as co-sensitization increases the risk of life-threatening reactions even in trace nut contamination.