Perception of food allergy among mothers of allergic children in Southwestern Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Food allergy (FA) is increasingly recognized with the highest prevalence in preschool children; there has been a significant increase in hospital admissions for systemic allergic diseases with anaphylaxis and food allergies. Hospital admissions for food allergy were noticed to rise from 6 to 41 per million between 1990 and 2000 worldwide. The prevalence of food allergy is increasing over time with significant geographic variations. It is estimated to affect 6% of children in the United States (USA); according to a study conducted in Makkah, by AL Mokarmah, the prevalence of FA among children attending the well-baby clinic was 22.5% and in Riyadh is 6% among children who visit the allergy clinic at King Khalid University Hospital. FA in children is usually caused by milk (2.5%), egg (1.3%), peanut (0.8%), tree nuts (0.2%), fish (0.1%), as well as shellfish (0.1%), with an overall prevalence of 6%. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a self-administered questionnaire was used in the data collection. After data were collected, they were entered in the Statistical Software IBM SPSS version 22. Descriptive and inferential statistics were obtained. Results: Out of 980 mothers, 49% were suffering from food allergy, while 28.6% of their children were suffering from food allergy. Shellfish was the most common cause of food allergy (38%). Conclusion: The management of FA in children is improving through the acquisition of new knowledge in diagnosis and treatment. Education of physicians and food-allergic patients about FA and its treatment is becoming recognized as an unmet need.