[Food allergy. II. Prevalence of organ manifestations of allergy-inducing food. A study on the basis of 173 cases, 1978-1982].

From 1978 to 1982 173 cases of food allergy were diagnosed at the Allergy Unit of the Dermatological Clinic, University of Zürich. Of these predominantly adult patients, 118 (68%) were female and 55 (32%) male. 65% of the food-allergic patients also showed one or more atopic manifestations, and 26% pollinosis. Localization of symptoms of food allergy was most often the skin (43%), followed by the respiratory tract (23%), the gastrointestinal tract (21%) and the cardiovascular system (12.5%). Only 11% had exclusively intestinal allergic reactions. The most frequent food allergens were found to be vegetables. Celery headed the list with 40.5%, followed by carrots (20%) and green beans (6%). Other commonly occurring food allergens were eggs (21%), milk and dairy products (20%) and fish (12%). Sensitivity was found to groups of raw vegetables, and also cross-reactivity to other nutritional and inhalative allergens. In view of this finding the term "celery-carrot-mugwort-spice-syndrome" was coined. Regarding diagnostic procedure, a precise history remains essential. Once again, scratch techniques performed with fresh raw food proved to be markedly more dependable than skin tests performed with commercial food extracts. The use of a RAST was especially helpful in diagnosing milk-cheese-casein allergies.