Severe reaction in a child with asymptomatic codfish allergy: food challenge reactivating recurrent pancreatitis

Ital J Pediatr. 2012 May 9:38:16. doi: 10.1186/1824-7288-38-16.

Abstract

An 8-year-old child during the first year of life manifested severe atopic dermatitis and chronic diarrhea with mucorrhea and rectal bleeding; a fish-free diet was started based on weakly positive skin-prick tests to codfish extract. At the age of 4 years the child began to suffer of recurrent pancreatitis. When he came to our attention for the evaluation of his fish allergy, he was asymptomatic; a weak reactivity to codfish was observed (SPTs: cod, 4 mm, sIgE ImmunoCAP: cod, 1.30 kU/l). The food challenge test with cod was negative. When the child ate cod again, within 5 minutes, developed anaphylactic reaction and complained of abdominal pain compatible with pancreatitis (enzyme serum levels risen and parenchymal oedema at ultrasonography), that resolved within 7 days after specific therapy. This case raises two issues: the elimination diet in asymptomatic food allergy on the basis only of SPT and the ethicality of food challenge in gastrointestinal chronic disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Child
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Food Hypersensitivity / diagnosis
  • Food Hypersensitivity / immunology*
  • Food Hypersensitivity / therapy
  • Gadus morhua / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pancreatitis / diagnosis
  • Pancreatitis / immunology*
  • Pancreatitis / therapy
  • Recurrence