Abstract
Aim: to study the prevalence of food allergy to fish, crustaceans and molluscs in different age groups of children and to assess the frequency of detection of certain clinical manifestations of food allergy in the examined patients. Materials and methods. The study examined 318 children aged one to 18 years with manifestations of food allergy to fish, crustaceans and molluscs. The diagnosis of food allergy and other allergic conditions was made according to the EAACI criteria. Sensitisation to fish, crustacean and mollusc allergens was established when the levels of specific IgE to allergen extracts or molecules presented in the ALEX2 test system (Macro Array Diagnostics GmbH, Austria) were above 0.3 kUA/L. Results.Among the examined children, allergy to fish was most common (p<0.05) in 182 (57.2%) patients, and somewhat less common to crustaceans and molluscs in 103 (32.2%); combined sensitisation to fish, crustaceans and molluscs was found only in 33 (10.4%) children. The most common symptoms of allergy to fish, crustaceans and shellfish were nausea in 82.1-100% of children and vomiting in 42.3-100% of patients. Urticaria and angioedema were more frequently observed in children with food allergy to fish - in 33.3-90.7% of patients, less frequently in children with allergy to crustaceans and molluscs - in 18.8-36.4% of patients. Anaphylaxis was more frequently detected in patients with combined seafood sensitisation - in 21.2% of cases, compared with allergy to fish (8.8%) or crustaceans and molluscs (2.9%). Conclusion. The analysis of literature data and our own studies indicates certain age and regional peculiarities of the clinical course of allergy in sensitisation to fish, crustacean and mollusc allergens. Given the possible development of seafood sensitisation in children from the first years of life, it is worth continuing to study the further clinical course of food allergy and the peculiarities of immunological reactivity, which is necessary to develop optimal treatment and prevention measures and recommendations for such patients