Epidemiological aspects of food allergy in children and adults

Food allergy is a hypersensitive state of the human body in which the food consumed, which is a source of allergens, triggers immune processes (IgE-mediated, IgE-independent, or mixed) resulting in symptoms. The prevalence of food allergy in the human population shows an upward trend in the last 30-40 years as documented by epidemiological studies conducted mainly in developed countries. The reasons for this phenomenon have still not been fully explained. An important role in this upward trend is thought to be played by select environmental factors affecting the human genome. This process is called "epigenetic influence". Epidemiological studies on the prevalence of food allergies relate to food products frequently consumed by people all over the world (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, seafood, peanuts, nuts, fruits, and vegetables). The results of such studies on the incidence of allergies to these foods, however, are varied and depend on the study center. The lack of comparability between these results is chiefly caused by different methodologies applied which produce varying incidences. In this paper, the authors present a comparative analysis of the prevalence of food allergies in different countries of the world, taking into account differences in research methodology. We compared the results of past research conducted among children, adolescents, and adults, with current ongoing studies utilizing a food provocation test as an objective method confirming an etiopathogenetic allergic response to the studied food. Epidemiological studies on the incidence of food allergy in Poland have also been characterized. (c) 2016 Polish Society of Allergology. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.