Does parental perception of food allergy correlate well with skin prick test? A prospective study

Abstract

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Food allergy (FA) is being increasingly recognized in children. Correct identification of a food allergen gives the opportunity to eliminate the offending food, thus reducing allergy-associated symptoms. Ruling out FA allows parents to reintroduce the nutrient excluded based on suspicion only. The objective of the study was to find the association between “parental perception of food causing allergy” and “confirmation of the allergen by skin prick tests (SPTs)” in children. We describe the profile of FA in the Indian population. METHODS: In this prospective observational study, 47 children aged 4–12 years with suspected FA were subjected to SPT. We evaluated for the association between the “parental perception of foods causing allergy in their children” and the confirmation of allergen by SPT. RESULTS: Among the 47 children, in 20 (42.5%), FA was confirmed by SPT. Common allergens identified by SPT were shrimp, milk, egg, beef, peanut, and tuna. In our study, we had reasonable agreement (kappa > 0.6) between parental suspicion of FA and positive SPT: higher association was noted with the foods mutton, beef, and shrimp. CONCLUSION: In more than half of children suspected to have FA, SPT excluded the diagnosis. This helped the pediatrician and parents to reintroduce the food and avoid potential nutrient deficiencies.