Clinical characteristics and diagnostic value of specific immunoglobulin E antibodies in children with kiwi fruit allergy

Purpose: Kiwi fruit allergy in children has scarcely been reported. This study focused on the clinical characteristics of kiwi fruit allergy and value of kiwi specific Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies in Korean children. Methods: The study was based on a data analysis of 18 patients, who were diagnosed with clinical kiwi fruit allergy at Ajou University Hospital from June 2005 to June 2012. Clinical details were collected by medical history and telephone survey. Sera from all children were analyzed for kiwi specific IgE (ImmunoCAP) and patients with negative result were further evaluated by an enzyme linked immunosorbentassay test (ELISA) using our own made kiwi fruit extracts. Results: The subjects were 10 male and 8 female with a median aged 25 months. Twelve out of 18 (66.7%) were diagnosed with angioedema or urticaria, 4 (22.2%) were diagnosed with oral allergy syndrome, 1 was presented with dyspnea, and 1 was diagnosed with anaphylaxis. Oral route of exposure (88.9%) was most common and majority of patients (88.9%) experienced clinical symptoms at the first exposure to kiwi fruit. Six out of 12 patients with urticaria showed negative result in specific IgE by ImmunoCAP, but specific IgE were detected in 2 of 6 by ELISA with our own made kiwi extract. Conclusion: Systemic reactions to kiwi fruit were common in Korean children, and the symptoms were frequently developed at the first time of exposure. Additional diagnostic methods would be needed for evaluation of IgE sensitization in kiwi allergic patients with negative result by ImmunoCAP.