Food sensitization in permanent allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma

Atopic allergic diseases (atopies) are recently becoming more common. Despite different sites of allergic inflammation, the sensitizing allergens can show cross-reactive effects, which raises the issues of atopic comorbidity. A combination of allergic rhinitis with food allergies, as well as asthma with food allergies, is becoming more frequent, but still not well understood. The aim of the work was to investigate food sensitization in the permanent allergic rhinitis and asthma and to assess relationships between this conditions and respiratory atopies, due to preferential sensitization to the dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronissinus. The study included 276 patients aged 18-60 years, both males and females, with perennial allergic rhinitis (n = 168) and bronchial asthma (n = 108). We determined blood concentrations of five specific IgE antibodies to food allergens from G8 group, as well as antibodies to the most significant Der p 1 allergen of dust mites Dermatophagoides pteronissinus, which are the leading source of sensitization in respiratory atopies. The data obtained were processed by descriptive statistics taking into account a distribution, calculation of non-parametric criteria, and correlation indexes. All patients were divided into three groups: (1) free of food allergies and sensitization symptoms (46%), (2) with absent clinical manifestations of food allergies, but latent food sensitization (26.1%), and (3) evidence of both symptoms and proven sensitization (27.9%). Thus, food sensitization was found in more than half of the cases of allergic rhinitis and asthma, An expected moderate correlation has been found between antibodies to shrimp and dust mite allergens. No association of IgE to Der p I with other food allergens was revealed. Meanwhile, a significantly higher frequency of clinical food allergies was found in asthma compared to allergic rhinitis. However, when accounting for a sum of subclinical and clinical sensitization, we did not reveal a significant difference between each other. This result may indicate a more reliable maintenance of allergic tolerance against food allergens, or a lack of factors for ceasing the tolerance condition at preclinical stage in allergic rhinitis, as compared to asthma.