Predicting food allergy development in children

Identification of early and efficient markers for later development of food allergy would be a very useful tool in the management of food allergy. Researchers in Germany have examined the usefulness of repeated measurements of food sensitisation in early childhood for predicting doctor-diagnosed food allergy at the age of six years.

Data for 1082 children collected from a prospective birth cohort study were analysed to determine food allergy predictability. Information for the study was collected by parental questionnaires, and blood samples were obtained at two and six years of age. Children with repeated determination of sensitisation to food allergens at two and six years of age were categorised into four sensitisation phenotypes: no, early onset, late onset and persistent sensitisation.

Children with early onset food allergen sensitisation (in the first two years of life) were found to have a high risk of developing doctor-diagnosed food allergy at six years. Persistent food allergen sensitisation during the early childhood years was also found to be associated with an increased risk of doctor-diagnosed food allergy at six years.

Those children who exhibited food sensitisation in their first two years of life, and also had a history of parental atopy showed the highest risk for doctor-diagnosed food allergy at six years. Such symptoms of food sensitisation in early childhood indicate that attention should be paid to the potential development of food allergy-related symptoms in later years.

Reference: Schnabel et al. 2009. Clinical and Experimental Allergy. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2009.03400.x