CLINICAL EVALUATION OF OPEN FOOD CHALLENGE TEST USING DRIED FOOD (JUICE) CONTAINING FREEZE-DRIED EGG WHITE IN CHIDREN WITH EGG ALLERGY

A dried food (juice) containing freeze-dried egg white and a placebo were obtained. The usefulness of the dried food in pediatric allergy practice was evaluated in 50 infants and children who had eliminated consumption of eggs and egg products due to confirmed or suspected egg allergy. The purpose of the challenge test with the dried food was to assess the degree of immediate-type hypersensitivity and/or tolerance to egg.This test was carried out using the single open food challenge method. Because the amount of the dried food administered as the test dose depends on the degree of hypersensitivity, 1 to 10mg of dried food (0.38-3.8mg freeze dried egg white) was set as the initial dose. If no reaction occurred within 30 minutes, the dose was increased 5-fold to 10-fold in subsequent tests until 7, 700mg was reached. No reaction at 7, 700mg was defined as negative test to egg. Results were as follows.1. Immediate-type reaction was found in 25 patients, and the amount of dried food administered by onset of apparent immediate reaction ranged from 10 to 7, 700mg.2. Non-immediate type of reaction was revealed respectively in 2 and 3 cases, and biphasic reaction of immediate and late types was observed in 2 patients.3. Negative test to egg was observed in 18 patients.4. No patient experienced esystemic anaphylactic reaction due to those challenge test.5. Placebo-food was adopted, when in presumption of uncertain result, and was used in 23 for single blind and in 13 cases for double blind placebo-controlled food challenge tests.Though there were some aspects of this procedure of this test with dried food containing freeze dried egg white that should be improved, it was thought that when by the above-mentioned method, this food was adapted for clinical evaluation of hypersensitivity to egg, particularly for purposes of assessing the degree of hyper-sensitivity and/or tolerance to egg.