Food Allergy in Spain
A cross-sectional study carried out in Spain found the most common foods causing allergies were fruits (33.3% of cases), nuts (26%), shellfish (22%), egg (16%), milk (13.9%) and fish (9.8%). Milk and egg were the most common foods in children under 5 years of age, whereas fruits and nuts were the most prevalent foods in those over 5 years.
The most frequent symptoms were skin reactions (65.3%), oral allergy syndrome (33.6%), digestive symptoms (24.7%) and anaphylaxis (17.9%). The clinical presentation differed among foods. The self perception of patients' quality of life was lower than that of the 75% of Spanish reference population.
Fernandez concludes that food allergy is diagnosed in 7.4% of the patients seen in allergy clinics across Spain, food allergy has an important impact on the quality of life of patients, and the foods involved in reactions change with age.
Fernández Rivas M.
Food allergy in Alergológica-2005.
J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2009;19 Suppl 2:37-44.