The results of the 'Food Allergies Research in Children' conducted on 1248 children across Turkey, Turkey National Allergy and Clinical Immunology Association Food Working Group Chairman Prof. Dr. It was announced by Ayşen Bingöl. The research, which was completed in 2 years, offers striking results within the scope of food allergy in children in Turkey.
Food allergies, which place a great burden on the lives of children and their families, can cause significant health problems in children. In this context, the study carried out to evaluate the characteristics and risk factors of childhood food allergies in Turkey offers striking results.
Turkish National Allergy and Clinical Immunology Association, Head of the Nutrition Working Group Prof. Dr. Turkey's most comprehensive “Food Allergies Research in Children” conducted under the leadership of Ayşen Bingöl was completed in 2 years. The study was conducted on 26 allergic children treated in the pediatric allergy department of 1248 universities and training and research hospitals located in different regions across Turkey.
Food allergies are most common in infancy.
Stating that food allergy is an important health problem that affects the quality of life of both the child and his family, Turkish National Allergy and Clinical Immunology Association, Head of Food Working Group Prof. Dr. Ayşen Bingöl shared important information about the research results:
“We investigated the characteristics of food allergies in children across our country. Our aim was to evaluate the characteristics and risk factors of childhood food allergies in Turkey. In this context, our study, which we completed in 2 years, enables us to see the results of all Turkey collectively for the first time. We analyzed the results of 26 children under the age of 18, 774 boys (62%) and 474 girls (38%), sent by 1248 Pediatric Allergy Diseases Centers from all regions of Turkey. We have obtained very important information about food allergy. Food allergy rates decrease as children get older. While 62,5 percent of children with food allergies were in the 0-2 age group, only 2,2 percent were in the 13-18 age group.
According to the results we obtained; Food allergies do not only cause mild symptoms such as redness, itching and rash, but also result in life-threatening allergic shock (anaphylaxis) at a substantial rate (17,6%).
Cow's milk is the most important cause of food allergies and allergic shock (anaphylaxis).
Stating that the most common type of food allergy in children is cow's milk allergy, Prof. Dr. Ayşen Bingöl said, “We observed that while the rate of cow's milk allergy was 0 percent in the 2-70,6 age group, it decreased to 13 percent in the 18-25 age group. In addition, cow's milk allergy is the most common type of allergy responsible for anaphylaxis in childhood in our country.
Half of children with food allergies have allergies to more than one food
Stating that cow's milk allergy is followed by egg, nuts, wheat and seafood allergies, Prof. Dr. Ayşen Bingöl touched upon the following points about the types of food allergies:
“We have seen allergies to more than one food in about half of the children with food allergies. We found that as the child gets older, milk and egg allergies are less common. We observed that 80 percent of children with cow's milk allergy and egg allergy developed a tolerance to these foods at the age of 16.
However, we found that nut allergies such as hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios, cashews and peanuts increased with age and did not improve. We know that sesame allergy, which is very common in Middle Eastern countries, is also on the rise in our country. Allergic reactions can be seen more common and severe in countries where sesame is grown, such as our country. On the other hand, we see that soy allergy is not very common in our country.”
Allergy risk in babies born by cesarean section
Stating that the most common period of food allergies is infancy, that is, the period from birth to 2 years of age, Prof. Dr. Ayşen Bingöl stated that food allergy is more common in children born by cesarean section, in male gender and if the mother has an allergic disease.
prof. Dr. Lastly, Ayşen Bingöl stated that the difference of their studies is that they represent national data homogeneously and include a large number of cases, and said, "Our research conducted by pediatric allergists will enable us to better know the characteristics of food allergy in our society and to cope with this problem better."
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