PP122
Incidence of citrus allergy in capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Adnan Bajraktarevic1, Sasa Mandic1, Elvira Lokmic1, Amira Skopljak1, Faruk Alendar2, Elvedin
Landzo3, Haris Niksic4, Zijo Begic5, Branka Djukic6, Alisa Abduzaimovic7
1
Sarajevo Public Health Institution of Health Center, Bosnia & Herzegovina; 2Sarajevo Dermatologic Clinic, Bosnia &
3
4
Herzegovina; Sarajevo Clinical Medical Center, Bosnia & Herzegovina; Department for Pharmacology, Sarajevo
5
Pharmaceutical Faculty, Bosnia & Herzegovina; Sarajevo Pediatrics Clinic, Bosnia & Herzegovina; 6First Medical Aid
7
New Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina; Tesanj Biochemical Allerology Laboratory, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Background: The Genus citrus includes lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines and grapefruits. Acute urticaria
is much more likely to be caused by food allergy than is chronic urticaria. The molecular characterization of
citrus pollen and cross-allergenicity was aimed to verify whether some important citrus allergen genes,
known to be expressed in the fruit and to provoke allergic reactions after ingestion were also expressed in
pollen. Citrus plants belong to the Rutaceae family of flowering plants and contain D-limonene, geraniol,
and citral in addition to several other compounds.
Aims: To investigate the skin or respiratory symptoms reported by pediatricians and determine their
causes.
Method: Data were collected to determine the preschool children patients' allergies documented in the
medical record. Ninety eight children with at least one documented food allergy and thirty six (0.41%)
children who had a orange or lemon allergy while hospitalized or during exanimations and curing in
pediatrics primary practice for five years period from 2010 to 2015 in Sarajevo.The symptoms may vary
upon the person and the severity of the allergy and also the type of fruit, for example orange or lemon
allergy was shown that they may go from symptoms such as hoarseness, dyspnoea and bronchitic rales
(asthma).
Results: Lemon allergies are uncommon, but like any citrus allergy, a lemon allergy can cause a variety of
uncomfortable symptoms. The diagram of allergy illustrates the range of reported and detected food citrus
allergy found in differentstudies. The duration of the reactions overall was short, with approximately two
thirds of the reactions resolving within five months of their onset. Citrus food allergy is less prevalent in the
paediatric age group.Approximately 2 percent of adults and 0.4 percent of children have a food allergy,
according to data. Any food can trigger an allergic reaction, including a lemon and orange. Symptoms of a
citrus allergy can occur within minutes after contact with the fruit or can take up to two hours to manifest.
Conclusion: The allergy to citrus fruits is not clinically relevant as other foods and pollens, even if some
early studies suggested oranges being an important allergenic food. Most clinical food allergic reactions are
immediate and IgE mediated as orange or lemon allergy.
POSTER SESSION 4:
Food allergens