Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

A survey on the management of pollen-food allergy syndrome in allergy practices

2003; Elsevier BV; Volume: 112; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0091-6749(03)02008-6

1097-6825

S Ma,

Contact Dermatitis and Allergies

BackgroundThere is no consensus on the diagnosis and therapy of oral allergy syndrome (OAS; also known as pollen-food allergy syndrome), a disorder caused by IgE antibody-mediated reactions to homologous proteins in pollens and fruits and vegetables.ObjectiveWe sought to determine how practicing allergists define and treat OAS.MethodsA questionnaire was mailed to 226 randomly selected US allergists from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology directory.ResultsOne hundred twenty-two (54%) returned surveys were analyzed. Median estimates of the prevalence of OAS among the patients with pollen allergy were 5% among children and 8% among adults. Twenty percent of allergists reported that some patients progressed to systemic symptoms. Fifty-three percent of allergists recommended complete avoidance of causal foods to all patients, whereas 9% did not advocate any restrictions. Thirty percent never prescribed epinephrine for OAS, 3% always did, and the remainder did so on the basis of symptoms. When presented with clinical cases, 20% diagnosed systemic reactions to peach as OAS, 13% believed peanut could cause OAS, and 25% did not prescribe epinephrine for peanut allergy manifested by oral symptoms.ConclusionAllergists' estimates of the prevalence of OAS in patients with pollen allergy (5%-8%) are lower than the prevalence reported (approximately 50%) in the published studies of these patients, perhaps reflecting a low index of suspicion, underdiagnosis, or both. The wide range of responses regarding diagnosis and management indicates the need for a better definition for the disorder and standard therapeutic guidelines. Discrepancies might be related to the term OAS, and therefore use of the more specific term “pollen-food allergy syndrome” is suggested.