Phenotyping of immediate-type food allergies based on 10 years of
research: A latent class analysis
Abstract
Background: Food allergy is a disease with a diverse and
variable natural history, and some patients may react to two or more
food antigens. This study aimed to classify and characterize the
long-term prognosis of infantile-onset, immediate-type food allergies in
children, focusing on three major antigens in Japan: egg, milk, and
wheat. Methods: All children visited to our hospital with food
allergies, including suspected cases, were prospectively registered in
our medical database. From this database, infants who had immediate-type
symptoms or were sensitized to above three antigens were included. Cox
regression analysis and repeated-measures latent class analysis were
performed to reveal risk factors and tolerance patterns for food
allergies. Results: Of 2,830 patients registered in the
database, we included 915 patients with immediate-type food allergy
symptoms and 276 sensitized asymptomatic patients in this study. The
number of patients with immediate-type symptoms to egg, milk, and wheat
was 609, 443, and 235, respectively. The number of patients with
multiple food allergies was 302. Ratios of acquiring tolerance to egg,
milk, and wheat at the age of 6 years were 74%, 69%, and 75%,
respectively. Latent class analysis revealed 10 classes of prognosis for
food allergies, including five with multiple food allergies. The largest
class was transient egg allergy alone (21.4%), and there were
severe cases of persistent allergy to three major allergens (3.2%).
Conclusions: This study demonstrated the prognosis of
food-allergy classes in Japan, including multiple food allergies, with
10 classes with its own characteristics.