Food Allergy Prevalence in Salvadoran Schoolchildren Estimated by Parent-Report

Francisco Cabrera-Chávez, Cecilia Ivonne Rodríguez-Bellegarrigue, Oscar Gerardo Figueroa-Salcido, Jesús Aristeo Lopez-Gallardo, Jesús Gilberto Arámburo-Gálvez, Marcela de Jesús Vergara-Jiménez, Mónica Lizzette Castro-Acosta, Norberto Sotelo-Cruz, Martina Hilda Gracia-Valenzuela and Noé Ontiveros
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Francisco Cabrera-Chávez: Nutrition Sciences Academic Unit, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Cedros y Calle Sauces S/N, Fracc. Los Fresnos, Culiacán 80019, Sinaloa, Mexico
Cecilia Ivonne Rodríguez-Bellegarrigue: Luis Edmundo Vasquez School of Health Sciences, Department of Public Health, Dr. José Matías Delgado University, Antiguo Cuscatlán 1502, El Salvador
Oscar Gerardo Figueroa-Salcido: Nutrition Sciences Academic Unit, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Cedros y Calle Sauces S/N, Fracc. Los Fresnos, Culiacán 80019, Sinaloa, Mexico
Jesús Aristeo Lopez-Gallardo: Nutrition Sciences Academic Unit, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Cedros y Calle Sauces S/N, Fracc. Los Fresnos, Culiacán 80019, Sinaloa, Mexico
Jesús Gilberto Arámburo-Gálvez: Department of Biological Chemistry Sciences, University of Sonora, Hermosillo 83000, Sonora, Mexico
Marcela de Jesús Vergara-Jiménez: Nutrition Sciences Academic Unit, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Cedros y Calle Sauces S/N, Fracc. Los Fresnos, Culiacán 80019, Sinaloa, Mexico
Mónica Lizzette Castro-Acosta: Nutrition Sciences Academic Unit, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Cedros y Calle Sauces S/N, Fracc. Los Fresnos, Culiacán 80019, Sinaloa, Mexico
Norberto Sotelo-Cruz: Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sonora, Hermosillo 83000, Sonora, Mexico
Martina Hilda Gracia-Valenzuela: Technological Institute of the Yaqui Valley, Bácum 82276, Valle del Yaqui, Sonora, Mexico
Noé Ontiveros: Division of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Chemical, Biological, and Agricultural Sciences (DC-QB), University of Sonora, Navojoa 85880, Sonora, Mexico

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-8

Abstract: The prevalence of food allergy (FA) has not been estimated at a population level in Central American countries and, consequently, the magnitude and relevance of the problem in the Central American region remains unknown. Thus, our aim was to evaluate the parent-reported prevalence of FA in a population of schoolchildren from the Central American country El Salvador. A Spanish version of a structured questionnaire was utilized. Five hundred and eight (508) parents returned the questionnaire with valid responses (response rate, 32%). The estimated prevalence rates (95% CI) were: adverse food reactions 15.9 (13.0–19.3), “perceived FA, ever” 11.6 (9.1–14.6), “physician-diagnosed FA, ever” 5.7% (4.0–8.0), “immediate-type FA, ever” 8.8% (6.6–11.6), “immediate-type FA, current” 5.3% (3.6–7.6), and anaphylaxis 2.5% (1.5–4.3). The most common food allergens were milk (1.7%), shrimp (1.3), chili (0.7%), chocolate (0.7%), and nuts (0.3%). Most of the “food-dependent anaphylaxis” cases (60.5%) sought medical attention, but only one case reported the prescription of an epinephrine autoinjector. Mild and severe FA cases are not uncommon among Salvadoran schoolchildren and both the prescription of epinephrine autoinjectors by healthcare personnel and the use of the autoinjectors by anaphylactic individuals should be encouraged.

Keywords: food allergy; prevalence; parent-reported; schoolchildren; anaphylaxis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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