Abstract
BACKGROUND: Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is a common cause of food allergy in adults. Our objectives were to determine the frequency and to describe its clnical features in Mexican people with nasal pollinosis. METHODS: Diagnosis of OAS was made through the clinical history and a fresh-food-prick-by-prick test. The sample to estimate the frequency consisted in 100 consecutive subjects with a diagnosis of nasal pollinosis, whereas to describe its clinical featuring, we look for the findings in 30 patients with OAS from a Second Level Hospital. Statistical analysis included descriptive measures and Spearman's Rho Test for a correlation between clinical variables. RESULTS: The frequency for OAS was 13%. Mean age 29.9 years. By gender 26 women. Median for serum IgE was 160 UI/mL, while the average for total eosinophils was 278.2. The most common symptoms were oropharyngeal pruritus, followed by lip edema; the symptoms started in most of the cases within the first minute after eating the food. Predominant sensitizing aeroallergens corresponded to trees, among them, oaks. Twenty three different foods related to OAS were detected in total, mainly, peach (23 cases), apple (18 cases), pear (8 cases) and almond (7 cases). By anamnesis, 2 patients identified up to 8 foods. Evolution time of OAS correlated significantly to the evolution time of allergic rhinitis (Rho = 0.49; P = 0.006) and duration of OAS symptoms (Rho = 0.37; P = 0.05). Evolution time of allergic rhinitis and duration of OAS symptoms also correlated between them (Rho = 0.52; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: In a birch-free zone and sensitization to oaks and alders, as Guadalajara, in Mexico, OAS should be suspected as related to foods from Rosaceae family. The longer the evolution time of nasal pollinosis and OAS, the longer the duration of OAS symptoms.