High Rate of Food Sensitization, but Not Food Allergy, in Latex Allergy

Abstract

Rationale: Food allergy due to cross-reactivity is one of the clinical manifestations of latex allergy, known as latex-fruit syndrome. The study analyze the rate of food sensitization and alergy in patients with latex allergy. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study with 220 children and adolescents with myelomeningocele. Patients with their family answered a questionnaire and had a blood sample collected. We selected all patients with the confirmed diagnosis of latex allergy, and therein we analyze sensitization and allergy due to allergens of plant origin. The detection of specific serum IgE was carried out by FEIA and Microarray. Results: Although 19.6% of allergic patients to latex presented anaphylaxis, we did not observed clinical reactions triggered by food. The overall rate of sensitization to foods was 43%. FEIA and Microarray positivity for serum specific IgE to food was 50% and 21%, respectively. Conclusions: Patients with latex allergy presented a high rate of sensitization to food, but did not present clinical reactions. FEIA was more sensitive for detection of food-specific serum IgE, but microarray was able to increase the diagnosis of food sensitization.