International prevalences of reported food allergies and intolerances. Comparisons arising from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) 1991–1994

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to report the prevalence, type and reported symptoms associated with food intolerance. Design: A cross-sectional epidemiological study involving 15 countries using standardized methodology. Participants answered a detailed interviewer-administered questionnaire and took part in blood, lung function and skin prick tests to common aeroallergens. Setting: Randomly selected adults who took part in the second phase of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). Subjects: The subjects were 17 280 adults aged 20 ± 44 y. Results: Twelve percent of respondents reported food allergyaintolerance (range 4.6% in Spain to 19.1% in Australia). Atopic females who had wheezed in the past 12 months, ever had asthma or were currently taking oral asthma medications were signi®cantly more likely to report food allergyaintolerance. Participants from Scandinavia or Germany were signi®cantly more likely than those from Spain to report food allergyaintolerance. Respondents who reported breathlessness as a food-related symptom were more likely to have wheezed in the past 12 months, to have asthma, use oral asthma medications, be atopic, have bronchial hyperreactivity, be older and reside in Scandinavia. Conclusion: Self-reported food allergyaintolerance differed signi®cantly across multiple countries. The reasons for these differences were not explored in this study, but are likely to be largely due to cultural differences.

Self-reported food and drug allergy in Maputo, Mozambique

“…We also observed differences in the frequency of food allergy according to the place of birth, probably reflecting the geographical influences on exposure to allergens, as previously postulated to explain intercountry differences. 2 We observed a 25.0% prevalence of drug allergy, and half of these study participants reported allergy to chloroquine. This might reflect the large exposure to chloroquine in this African country, or the highly frequent itching produced by antimalarial drugs in black patients.…”

“…2,3 Seafood allergy was the most frequent, probably because the studied population easily accesses these histamine-rich foods, usually responsible for allergy-like symptoms. As in other surveys, [2][3][4] food allergy was more frequent in women and decreased with age. We also observed differences in the frequency of food allergy according to the place of birth, probably reflecting the geographical influences on exposure to allergens, as previously postulated to explain intercountry differences.…”

“…There is wide regional variation in the prevalence of drug 1 and food 2,3 allergy. Although no data are available from developing countries, allergy frequency is expected to differ from that observed in more affluent regions, reflecting the genetic background, and the cultural and economic influences on exposure to allergens.…”

Food hypersensitivity in Portuguese adults

“…Wide international differences in self-reported food allergy, from 4.6% in Spain to 19.1% in Australia, were attributed to cultural influences, namely dietary choices (Woods et al, 2001). Although formal evidence is lacking, it is assumed that the incidence of food hypersensitivity is increasing, in line with other forms of atopic disease (European Allergy White Paper, 1998).…”

An exploration of food intolerance in the primary care setting: The general practitioner's experience

“…Research based on selfreport measures of food intolerance state much higher prevalence rates. It is reported that 14.7% of the UK population perceive themselves as food intolerant (Young et al 1994), as do 16% of Americans (Altman and Chairamonte 1996) and 19.1% of Australians (Woods et al 2001). The prevalence is higher still in specific sub-groups of the population with 25-65% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome perceiving themselves to be food intolerant (Dainese et al 1999;Atkinson et al 2004;Monsbakken, Vandvik and Farup 2006).…”