Pediatr Int. 2011[Epub ahead of print].

The epidemiology and clinical spectrum of food allergies (FA)?Background: confirmed by oral food challenge tests (OFC) in the Southeast Asian countries are limited. We examined the prevalence and characteristics of food allergies  Five hundred and forty?among preschool children in northern Thailand. Methods: -six children aged 3-7 years living in Chiang Mai, Thailand participated in this study. A cross-sectional parent -responded questionnaire survey was conducted. Families with children reporting FA were invited to undergo further  A?investigations with skin prick testing, serum specific IgE, and OFC. Results: total of 452 out of 546 questionnaires (82.8%) were returned. Forty -two children (9.3%) were reported to have FA. The five leading allergic foods reported were shrimp, cow's milk, fish, chicken eggs, and ant eggs. The most commonly reported symptom was a skin rash (78.0%), followed by abdominal pain and vomiting (31.1%). Anaphylaxis was found in 2 children (3.4%), from ant eggs allergy. Eighteen children underwent OFC; 5 of them demonstrated positive results to shrimp, fish, and crab. Either a skin prick test or a serum specific IgE was positive in these children. Factors associated with parent reported FA  This?included personal and family history of atopic dermatitis. Conclusions: study found at least 1.11% (95%CI 0.41-2.98%) prevalence of IgE-mediated FA confirmed by OFC. The most commonly causative food was shrimp. Ant eggs were a unique food allergen causing severe reactions in our preschool children.