Legume allergy prevalent among kids with multiple food allergies

Turkey: A new study published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology shows that in Turkey, legume allergies (LAs) are a symptom of numerous food allergies, and allergy to a least commonly encountered legume is a marker of multiple LA.

Legumes are nutritionally beneficial as a low-cost protein source, but they can trigger severe allergic responses in certain people. As a result, Elif Soyak Aytekin and colleagues carried out this research to discover the features of legume allergies in Turkish youngsters.

Between January 1, 2015, and September 30, 2021, 87 children (4.9 (3.1–7.0) years) with LAs verified by either oral food challenge (OFC) or consistent history were evaluated in the pediatric allergy section at Hacettepe University Ihsan Dogramaci Children's Hospital.

The key findings of this study were as follows:

1. The median onset age was 19 months.

2. Lentil was the most common LA (n = 57, 66%), followed by peanut (n = 53, 61%), chickpea (n = 24, 28%), pea (n = 21, 24%), bean (n = 7, 8%), and soybean (n = 1%).

3. Sixty percent of them had multi-legume (2) allergies, and the age of onset was earlier than in the single LA subgroup (18 vs. 28 months,).

4. Single LA was seen in peanut (51%) and lentil (16%) sensitivities, but not in chickpea, pea, and bean allergies.

5. Before their initial allergic response, fifteen individuals had tolerated lentils.

6. The vast majority of children with LA (91.9%) were allergic to various foods, including tree nuts (71%), hen's eggs (66%), and cow's milk (49%).

7. Seventy-eight patients (89.7%) also had atopic comorbidities such as asthma (40%), atopic dermatitis (70%), and allergic rhinitis (30%).

8. Aeroallergen sensitivity was more common in patients who had anaphylactic reactions (20%).

9. Lip dosage challenge with legume paste predicted the future of OFC with 81.82 percent diagnostic accuracy and a positive likelihood ratio of 10.8.

In conclusion, according to the researchers, although being regarded as the gold standard for diagnosis, OFC has dangers and maybe both labor and time-intensive. However, they said, the systematic use of lip dose challenges paste might identify individuals at risk for more severe responses and minimize the number of OFCs required.

Reference:

Soyak Aytekin, E., Unsal, H., Sahiner, U. M., Soyer, O., & Sekerel, B. E. (2022). IgE mediated legume allergy in east Mediterranean children: A reflection of multiple food allergies. In Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (Vol. 33, Issue 4). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.13775