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News — Black children have significantly higher rates of shellfish and fish allergies than White children, in addition to having higher odds of wheat allergy, suggesting that race may play an important role in how children are affected by , researchers at銆赌Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago,銆赌Rush University Medical Center銆赌and two other hospitals have found.銆赌銆赌銆赌

Results of the study were published in銆赌銆赌of the銆赌Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.銆赌銆赌銆赌

"Food allergy is a common condition in the U.S., and we know from our previous research that there are important differences between銆赌 Black銆赌and銆赌White銆赌children with food allergy, but there is so much we need to know to be able to help our patients from minority groups," said銆赌MD, PhD, who is銆赌first銆赌author of the study and chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Medical Center. "In this current paper,銆赌our goal was to understand whether children from different races are allergic to similar foods,銆赌or銆赌if銆赌there is a difference based on their racial background."銆赌

Findings are a銆赌part of a銆赌large, multicenter national trial, called Food Allergy Management and Outcomes Related to White and African American Racial Differences (FORWARD), which aims to銆赌explore銆赌potential racial differences and銆赌disparities in銆赌food allergy outcomes including銆赌healthcare utilization, allergic reaction manifestation, management practices,銆赌and銆赌psycho-social銆赌outcomes.銆赌

"Previous studies indicate that cockroach exposure may be an important mechanism by which children develop a shellfish allergy. The immune system can confuse certain proteins in seafood with similar proteins that are present in the muscles of cockroaches that commonly elicit an allergic response," said Mahdavinia. "For example, research has suggested that shellfish allergy may occur from inhaling tropomyosin, the protein of two common household allergens, dust mite and cockroach, which share 80% of amino acid sequencing with shellfish. Tropomyosin, which regulates muscle contraction and relaxation, also has been found in fin fish."銆赌銆赌 

Food allergy is銆赌a銆赌major public health concern, affecting 8% of children in the United States, with an estimated economic burden of $24.8 billion annually.銆赌 For銆赌people with food allergies,銆赌eating銆赌a tiny amount of food can trigger symptoms such as hives, breathing, digestive problems, and/or anaphylaxis (a severe, potentially fatal allergic reaction).銆赌銆赌

"National surveys have shown that the prevalence of food allergy in general has been increasing in children in the U.S. among all races/ethnicities. However, much remains unknown about why certain allergies are more likely to affect children of particular races and ethnicities and how those racial/ethnic minority patients are affected,"銆赌said the lead principal銆赌investigator of the銆赌study and senior author ,銆赌 Director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and銆赌a physician at銆赌Ann &銆赌Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.銆赌

Gupta, Mahdavinia, and colleagues銆赌are conducting銆赌a large study of children ranging in age from birth to 12 years old who銆赌are銆赌diagnosed with food allergy and were seen in allergy/immunology clinics at four urban tertiary care centers in the U.S., which include銆赌Rush University Medical Center, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center,銆赌and Washington D.C.’s Children’s National Hospital. The study included 664銆赌children and was composed of 36 percent銆赌non-Hispanic銆赌Black and 64 percent non-Hispanic銆赌White children.銆赌銆赌銆赌

While scientists are still trying to figure out the exact mechanism銆赌of the allergy,銆赌the findings銆赌provide further insight into the importance of reducing銆赌Black銆赌children’s exposure to cockroaches.銆赌銆赌銆赌

"This information can help us care for not only a child’s food allergy, but all of their allergic diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis,銆赌and atopic dermatitis," said銆赌, who is a co-author of the study and an銆赌銆赌and immunology physician assistant at Rush University Medical Center.銆赌銆赌銆赌

In this study, the Black children with food allergies were more likely to have asthma. The study銆赌also銆赌showed that children with a shellfish allergy were more likely to have more severe asthma, while other food allergens were not associated with a diagnosis of asthma.銆赌銆赌

"A major concern is that there is a higher prevalence of asthma in銆赌Black銆赌children with food allergies when compared with銆赌White children with food allergies. Approximately 70% of fatal food anaphylaxis is accompanied by asthma. Black銆赌children are at a two- to threefold risk of fatal anaphylaxis compared to銆赌White children,"銆赌Mahdavinia銆赌said. "By knowing this information, it can identify銆赌 patients銆赌most at risk.銆赌銆赌

"We need to conduct further research to identify food allergies and food sensitivities among all races and ethnicities so we can develop culturally-sensitive and effective educational programs to improve food allergy outcomes for all children,"銆赌Mahdavinia銆赌added.銆赌銆赌

銆赌MD, and Susan銆赌Fox,銆赌PA-C MMS,銆赌 allergists銆赌at Rush, also銆赌are銆赌among the co-authors of the study.銆赌銆赌銆赌

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health銆赌(R01 #AI130384).銆赌

About Rush:

Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) is a large health system located on the West Side of Chicago. Rush University is the academic home of RUMC and the professional medical faculty (Internal Medicine) of the Cook County Bureau of Health Services (CCBHS). With more than 1.5 million ambulatory visits per year and 1500 open clinical trials, these two clinical entities comprise a large collaborative system of inpatient and outpatient care in Illinois.

About Lurie Children’s:

Research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is conducted through the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. The Manne Research Institute is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Lurie Children’s is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. 麻豆传媒 & World Report. It is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Last year, the hospital served more than 220,000 children from 48 states and 49 countries.