Prevalence of Parent-Reported Food Allergies and Associated Risk Predictors Among Children in Saudi Arabia

Ahmad Alzahrani; Sara Alrebaiee; Shmookh Alsalmi; Mazen Althomali; Rabeah Alsofyani; Faisal Alkhudaydi; Mugtaba Osman

doi:10.7759/cureus.33974

Prevalence of Parent-Reported Food Allergies and Associated Risk Predictors Among Children in Saudi Arabia

Cureus. 2023 Jan 19;15(1):e33974. doi: 10.7759/cureus.33974. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Ahmad Alzahrani¹, Sara Alrebaiee², Shmookh Alsalmi³, Mazen Althomali⁴, Rabeah Alsofyani⁴, Faisal Alkhudaydi⁵, Mugtaba Osman⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, SAU.
² Department of Internal Medicine, King Faisal Medical Complex, Taif, SAU.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Taif University, Taif, SAU.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Taif, SAU.
⁵ Department of Family Medicine, Joint Program of Family Medicine, Jeddah, SAU.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Armed Forces Center for Psychiatric Care, Taif, SAU.

Abstract

Background and objective: The worldwide prevalence of food allergies has been increasing recently. Due to limited data on food allergy (FA) in Saudi Arabia, this study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of parent-reported food allergies and clinical manifestations in children in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Methodology: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based observational study was conducted from July 2019 to December 2020. A total of 508 parents of school children (aged five to eight years) responded to the questions based on the child's health and food allergies.

Results: FA (16.1%) was observed as the most common type of allergy among children. The prevalence of other atopic diseases was estimated at 30.5%. The most common allergy-causing foods were eggs (4.9%), peanuts (2.7%), and sesame (2.5%). Rash, itching without rash, and vomiting were the most common FA symptoms. The presence of childhood eczema (p< 0.0001), allergic rhinitis (p= 0.005), and the father's history of allergy (p= 0.005) were all significant and independent predictors/risk factors for FA among the studied children.

Conclusion: We noted substantial parents' concern with food allergies among children in Saudi Arabia, which necessitates the establishment of effective diagnosis and treatment strategies and primary prevention initiatives.

Keywords: asthma; atopic dermatitis; children; food allergy; prevalence; saudi arabia.