AIMS

To determine the prevalence of OAS in Mexican adults and identify the main foods and factors associated with this condition.

METHODS

A survey was conducted on a sample of adults aged 18 to 50 years using stratified probabilistic sampling based on the participants' age and sex. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with OAS, and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated.

RESULTS

The study included 1,091 adults (46.7% women; mean age 27.6 years). Of these, 196 (18.0%) had food hypersensitivity and 64 out of 1,091 had OAS (prevalence: 5.9%; 95% CI: 4.5 - 7.4%). The food groups most associated with OAS were fruits (28/64, 43.8%), seafood (21/64, 32.8%), and nuts (12/64, 18.8%). Individually, the most frequent foods were shrimp (31.3%), pecans (14.1%), peach (10.9%), kiwi (10.9%), and strawberry (7.8%). There was a significant association of OAS with allergic rhinitis (aOR: 2.85,  = 0.001), urticaria (aOR: 18.48,  < 0.001), and a family history of atopy (aOR: 2.29,  = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the prevalence of OAS in adults as a manifestation of food hypersensitivity is a common event (64/196, 32.6%). Foods such as fruits, seafood, and nuts are strongly related to its occurrence.