Parent-reported prevalence of food allergy in Mexican schoolchildren: A population-based study.

BACKGROUND

Food allergy (FA) prevalence is well documented in developed countries and appears to be increasing, but remains unknown in most Latin American countries. We aimed to evaluate on a population basis the parent-reported prevalence of FA and its clinical characteristics in Mexican schoolchildren.

METHODS

A validated Spanish version of a structured written questionnaire was administered to parents of schoolchildren aged 5-13 years old from Culiacan, Mexico.

RESULTS

A total of 1049 parents responded to the survey (response rate, 84%). The estimated prevalence rates (95% CI) were: adverse food reactions 10.0% (8.3-11.9), "perceived FA, ever" 5.5% (4.3-7.0), "physician-diagnosed FA, ever" 4.9% (3.7-6.3), "immediate-type FA, ever" 4.4% (3.3-5.8), "immediate-type FA, current" 3.5% (2.6-4.8), and anaphylaxis 1.2% (0.72-2.1). Immediate hypersensitivity reactions were mainly triggered by the consumption of shrimp (1.3%), other shellfish (0.7%), strawberry (0.6%), chocolate (0.5%), and egg (0.4%). Schoolchildren with "immediate-type FA, current" had more atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis (p<0.05), but not asthma or drug allergy (p>0.05) than children without FA. All cases of anaphylaxis sought medical attention, but only one child had physician-diagnosed anaphylaxis and was advised to acquire an epinephrine autoinjector.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of "immediate-type FA, current" to any food is 3.5% in Mexican schoolchildren. The poor recognition of anaphylaxis and the low frequency of prescription of epinephrine autoinjectors suggest that acute food-induced allergic reactions are not optimally managed in Mexico.