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Food specific skin‐test reactivity in atopic subjects
Author(s) -
MORGAN J. E.,
DAUL C. B.,
HUGHES J.,
McCANTS M.,
LEHRER S. B.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1989.tb02410.x
Subject(s) - skin test , atopic dermatitis , medicine , test (biology) , food hypersensitivity , reactivity (psychology) , dermatology , food allergy , immunology , allergy , biology , pathology , tuberculosis , paleontology , alternative medicine
Summary It has been proposed that a permanent or transitory increase in gut permeability is an important facet in the development of food allergy. If this occurs, then individuals with a history of a specific food allergy should have a higher incidence of immunological reactivity to other food allergens as compared to food tolerant subjects. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the prevalence of food‐specific IgE responses by skin‐prick testing in 60 individuals. Subjects were classified by a history of food allergy (shrimp hypersensitivity) and atopic status. Prevalence of skin‐prick test reactivity to shrimp and a panel of nine other food extracts was determined. Skin‐test reactivity to shrimp was related both to a history of shrimp sensitivity and atopic status. However, the prevalence of skin‐test reactivity to other foods was not related to clinical history of shrimp allergy, although it was related to atopy. A subset of subjects with shrimp allergy had multiple positive skin reactions to many of the nine other foods. This reactivity was associated with a history of pulmonary symptoms following shrimp ingestion. In general our results do not support non‐specific increases in gut permeability being important in the development of food allergy.