PECULIARITIES OF EGG ALLERGY IN CHILDREN WITH BIRD PROTEIN SENSITIZATION

Background: Hen's egg is frequently implicated in food allergy in chil dren. Sometimes this allergy is associated with bird protein sensitiza tion. Objective: A study was conducted to establish the possible role of bird protein sensitization in the clinical picture and evolution of egg allergy in patients with both egg and bird sensitization. Methods : Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics and the results of allerg ic study of 27 patients with both egg and bird allergy were compared w ith those of a control group of 19 egg-allergic patients without bird protein sensitization. All patients were evaluated clinically each yea r during the 4 years subsequent to the beginning of the study or until clinical tolerance to egg was achieved. Results: Patients with bird s ensitization had more frequent digestive and respiratory symptoms rela ted to egg ingestion compared with the control group. At the end of fo llow-up, 15% of the bird sensitized patients and 58% of the controls t olerated egg. Egg yolk sensitization was the major sensitization in bi rd-sensitized patients. Conclusion: It is necessary to exclude sensiti zation to bird proteins in egg-allergic patients, mainly when they sho w respiratory or digestive symptoms after egg ingestion, the egg aller gy persists over a long period of time or egg yolk sensitization is st rong.