Abstract

In order to examine new type of food-allergy; food dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis and agents reported recently in Japan, we reviewed all case-reports concerning rapid food-allergy and food dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis in two major Japanese medical journals (The Japanese Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and Japanese Journal of Allergology) from 1980 to 1999. Cases of rapid food-allergy were defined to have clinical symptoms within one hour after ingestion. Following variables were investigated in the present study: sex, age, suspected foods, diagnostic tests, symptoms, and allergological tests proposed by the Japanese committee of allergy. After reviewing 54 papers in the survey, we detected 36 cases of rapid food-allergy, 17 cases of food dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Thirty-three agents as suspected foods were reported. Among these agents, kiwi-fruit and squid were reported several times. These four agents were included in 24 allergy-inducing foods listed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in July, 2000.