IS A POSITIVE HISTORY OF FOOD ALLERGY CONSIDERED AS RISK FACTORS FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA?

Background: Food allergy and asthma are serious health problems affecting people at all ages around the world, they are two common childhood conditions. This study aimed to find the association between family history of bronchial asthma and the risk of developing food allergy.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done among parents of children (1-14 years) with asthma and developed food allergy later on, at Al-Madinah region, Saudi Arabia. Using an electronic questionnaire consisting of 29 questions divided in 3 sections. The first section contains general and personal information. The second section contains diagnostic questions that help to obtain information from the parents about the medical history, the third section contains questions about family history.

Results: 22.5% of the children had asthma, about 75% of asthmatic children had food allergy. The majority of asthmatic children 75%  needed an emergency visit in the last 12 months due to an asthma attack. This study found that sensitization to egg is one of the most common food allergens in children, followed by sensitization to nuts and peanuts. This study also showed underuse of food allergy testing.

Conclusion: There is a  relatively high prevalence of asthma among the children, and the majority of asthmatic children had food allergy

Keywords: Bronchial asthma, Food allergy, Allergic reaction, Medical history, Family history.