Flaxseed allergy: Review upon a case report

Food allergy to, flaxseed (linseed) is very rare, and only some isolated case reports have so far been published. We report here the case of a 55-year-old woman who developed an anaphylactic reaction after flaxseed intake. She had previously been sensitized in her childhood by epicutaneous contact with home-made cataplasms based on linseed meal which she had received for recurrent otitis. From this observation, a review of the botanic, historical and allergenic aspects of flaxseed is proposed. Our case demonstrates that epicutaneous contact might induce a sensitization to food with risk of secondary onset of food allergy. With the advent of diets rich in omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, seeds like flaxseed have been incorporated in the modern diet. Its incremental use in the food -processing industry might contribute to an increase of food allergy to flaxseed in the future. (C) 2016 Elsevict Masson SAS. All rights reserved.