Race may play an important role in children’s food allergies

Black children have significantly higher levels of shellfish and fish allergies than white children, as well as a more rare form of wheat allergy, suggest that, researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children ‘s Hospital in Chicago, Rush University Medical Center and two other hospitals discovered.

The results of the study were published in a February issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Food allergy is a common condition in the US, and we know from previous research that there are significant differences between Black and White children with food allergies, but there are so many that we need to be able to be able to has helped our patients from minority groups. . In this mainstream paper, our goal was to understand whether children from different races are allergic to similar foods, or whether differences are based on their racial history. “

Mahboobeh Mahdavinia, MD, PhD, Principal Author and Head of Research, Department of Allergy and Psychology, Rush University Medical Center

Results are part of a large, multi-functional national experiment, called Food Allergy Control and Results Related to White American and African American Race Differences (FOR), which aims to study racial differences. and differences in food allergy outcomes including health care use, sensory response manifestations, regulatory practices, and psychosocial outcomes.

“Previous studies show that cockroach exposure could be an important tool by which children develop shellfish allergies. The immune system can protect some proteins in seafood with similar proteins present in it. the muscles of cockroaches that usually get an allergic reaction, “Mahdavinia said. “For example, research has suggested that shellfish allergy may occur from the intake of tropomyosin, a protein of two common household allergens, dust mite and cockroach, which share 80% of amino acid classification with shellfish. Tropomyosin , which regulates muscle contraction and rest, has also been found in finfish. “

Food allergy is a major public health concern, affecting 8% of children in the United States, with an estimated economic burden of $ 24.8 billion annually. For people with food allergies, eating a small amount of food can cause symptoms such as kidney, breathing, digestive problems, and / or anaphylaxis (a potentially fatal sensory reaction).

“National studies have shown that the prevalence of general food allergies has been on the rise in children in the U.S. among all races / ethnicities. However, many still do not know why some Allergies are more likely to affect children of certain ethnic and ethnic backgrounds and as such these are affected by ethnic / ethnic minority patients, ”said the study’s lead researcher and senior author Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, Director of Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

Gupta, Mahdavinia, and colleagues are conducting a large study of children from birth to 12 years of age who are diagnosed with a food allergy and seen in allergy / immunology clinics at four urban tertiary care centers in the U.S., which include Rush University Medical Center, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children ‘s Hospital in Chicago, Cincinnati Children’ s Hospital Medical Center, and Washington DC National Children ‘s Hospital. The study included 664 children and consisted of 36 percent Black non-Hispanic children and 64 percent non-Hispanic white children.

While scientists are still trying to figure out exactly what the allergy is, the findings give us more insight into the importance of black children seeing. cockroaches.

“This information can help us take care not only of a child’s food allergy, but their allergic diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis,” said Susan Fox, PA -C, MMS, who is a co-author of the study and assistant physician of allergy and immunology at Rush University Medical Center.

In this study, Black children with food allergies were more prone to asthma. The study also showed that children with shellfish allergies were more likely to get worse asthma, while other food allergies were not associated with an asthma diagnosis.

“It is of great concern that there is a higher incidence of asthma in Black children with food allergies compared to White children with food allergies. Approximately 70% of food anaphylaxis is fatal with asthma. Black children in two or three risk of fatal anaphylaxis compared to White children, “Mahdavinia said. “By knowing this information, he can identify the patients who are most at risk.

“We need to do more research to identify food allergies and food vulnerabilities among all races and ethnicities so that we can develop culturally sensitive and effective educational programs to improve food allergy outcomes for all children,” said Mahdavinia.