CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL STUDIES IN THE PARENTS WHOSE CHILDREN SHOWED SEVERE IGE-MEDIATED FOOD ALLERGIES

Our objective was to analyze the clinical and immunological responses to food within two generations. The parental histories of atopic disea ses, serum total IgE and specific IgE to food, and maternal specific I gG to egg-white and milk, and total secretory-IgA (sIgA) in saliva wer e examined in 18 nuclear families including children with severe IgE-m ediated food allergies. The results were then compared with those for 47 males and 69 females, age-matched, whose children were free of atop ic diseases. When analyzed statistically, the following were found to be significantly different between the two groups. (1) The frequency o f a maternal history of an adverse reactions to food in the food-aller gy group was higher than that in the nonallergy group (3/18 vs 1/69, p < 0.05), however, the maternal specific sensitization to the foods di d not correspond to that in the children. (2) The frequency of materna l total IgE levels of more than 400 IU/ml in the food-allergy group wa s higher than that in the nonallergy group (6/18 vs 7/69, p < 0.05). T he maternal levels of specific IgG to the foods and total sIgA were no t statistically different between the two groups. The maternal atopic status as to food seems to be more decisive than that the paternal one with regard to a child's risk of food allergy, but the biological con tact between child and mother in utero does not seem to play a role in the development of food allergy.