2025 Volume 39 Issue 1 Pages 7-13
In Japan, there is only one existing report on hazelnut oral food challenge (oral food challenge: OFC) in children, which indicated a positivity rate of 10%. The present study aimed to compile data on hazelnut OFC conducted in our department and evaluate its clinical characteristics. We included hazelnut OFC conducted from January 2013 to December 2022, targeting loading doses of 1 g and 10 g. We retrospectively examined the relationship among OFC outcomes, patient demographics, and hazelnut-specific IgE levels using medical records. The study included 96 participants, with 48 participants each in the 1 g and 10 g loading groups. The positivity rates for OFC were 19% for the 1 g group and 15% for the 10 g group, while the anaphylaxis induction rates were 6% and 4%, respectively. Univariate analysis did not identify any factors significantly associated with OFC positivity. Furthermore, it was not possible to calculate a 95% positive predictive value for hazelnut-specific IgE levels. Hazelnut OFC can cause severe symptoms, and should be performed with adequate preparation.
