RAST FX-5 IN CHILDRENS FOOD ALLERGIES

The identification of specific IgE against children's most important f oods was carried out by submitting 110 children, 44 girls and 66 boys aged 6 months to 14 years (average age 4 years 2 months), presenting w ith a suspected food allergy, to a PAST Fx 5 Cap System, Pharmacia. Po sitive results were obtained in 45 children, regardless of sex or age. The presence of specific IgE against all allergens contained in the R AST Fx5 proved negative in 7 cases out of 45 (13 percent), correspondi ng in all cases to a Class 1 positive RAST Fx 5. For children under 24 months, the frequency of positive results, when identifying specific IgE against allergens present in the RAST Fx5, followed the following pattern: milk > eggs > peanut > wheat > fish > soybean, whereas for ch ildren older than 24 months, the pattern was: wheat > eggs = peanut = soybean > milk > fish. The greatest frequency of RAST Fx 5 positive re sults occured when asthma (67 %) and atopic dermatitis (59 %) were dia gnosed, whereas in the case of diarrhoea, the frequency of positive re sults was much lower (30 %). Upon analysis according to diagnosis, the following pattern of specific IgE frequency was found: peanut = milk > egg = wheat in case of asthma. egg > peanut > milk = wheat in case o f atopic dermatitis and milk > egg = wheat > peanut in case of diarrhe a. An analysis of specific IgE according to pathology for the various categories of age showed that there was a different order of positive results frequency, depending on whether children were younger or older than 24 months.