Investigation of 14 Food Allergen-Specific IgG Antibodies in 1299 Children

Abstract

By analyzing 14 food allergen-specific IgG antibodies in 1299 children residing in Henan province of China, we aimed to gain a preliminary understanding of food intolerance in children living in this region. Specific IgG antibodies for 14 food allergens were semi-quantitatively detected in the sera of subjects using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The total positive rate for food allergen IgG antibodies was 99.9%. Of the 14 food allergens tested, sera most frequently tested positive for specific IgG antibodies for the following five food allergens, listed from the highest positive rate to the lowest: egg, milk, soybean, cod, and crab. The total positive rate for each food allergen-specific IgG antibody showed no statistically significant gender-based differences (p > 0.05), nor did the total positive rate for IgG antibodies for all the types of food allergens (p > 0.05). The positive rates of allergen-specific IgG antibodies for milk, beef, chicken, pork, mushrooms, and eggs (p < 0.05) showed a statistically significant difference between the 0- to 3-year-old and 4- to 11-year-old groups. Food intolerance is prevalent in children.

Keywords:

• Food allergen specific IgG antibody
• Food intolerance
• Children