EuroPrevall Birth Cohort Study update

The goal of the EuroPrevall Birth Cohort Study is to determine the incidence of food allergies during the first 2 ½ years of life, and to better understand the possible causes and implications of the disease. It is one of the most comprehensive investigations of food allergies in the first years of life done to date. Having commenced recruiting of participants in 2005, the study team has recently provided an update on its findings so far.

There are now close to 12,000 families from the nine centres across Europe who have agreed to participate in the study. Only the centres in the Netherlands and Italy, which started recruitment later in the study, are enrolling new participants.

So far, 524 (4.4%) children have developed symptoms of a possible food-related allergy, 277 children have undergone a total of 427 double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges, of which 182 challenges were positive for a diagnosis of food allergy. These children, along with age-matched infants as controls, continue to be evaluated in the study centres.

The most common food allergies in this age group are cow’s milk and hen’s egg, although other foods such as soy, wheat, peanut and fish are also present. These children also show symptoms of food allergy from fruits and vegetables, such as kiwifruit, banana, carrot, apple, strawberries and tomato, as well as tree nuts, lentils and beef.

To keep an eye on the quarterly results as this study progresses, go to www.europrevall.org.