Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modeling
Background: Food allergy (FA) has become a major public health concern affecting millions of children and adults worldwide. In Tunisia, published data on FA are scarce. Methods: This study, was intended to fill the gap and estimate the frequency of allergy to different foods in the Sfax region, Tuni...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-09-01
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| Series: | World Allergy Organization Journal |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193945512300073X |
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| author | Sabrine Belmabrouk, PhD Rania Abdelhedi, PhD Fadia Bougacha, PhD Fériel Bouzid, PhD Héla Gargouri, PhD Imen Ayadi, PhD Nouha Bouayed Abdelmoula, PhD, MD, Pr Balkiss Abdelmoula, MD Nawel Abdellaoui, PhD Riadh BenMarzoug, PhD Nersrine Triki, PhD Mouna Torjmen, PhD Mohamed Kharrat, PhD Mohamed Jmaiel, PhD, Pr Najla Kharrat, PhD Ahmed Rebai, PhD, Pr |
| author_facet | Sabrine Belmabrouk, PhD Rania Abdelhedi, PhD Fadia Bougacha, PhD Fériel Bouzid, PhD Héla Gargouri, PhD Imen Ayadi, PhD Nouha Bouayed Abdelmoula, PhD, MD, Pr Balkiss Abdelmoula, MD Nawel Abdellaoui, PhD Riadh BenMarzoug, PhD Nersrine Triki, PhD Mouna Torjmen, PhD Mohamed Kharrat, PhD Mohamed Jmaiel, PhD, Pr Najla Kharrat, PhD Ahmed Rebai, PhD, Pr |
| author_sort | Sabrine Belmabrouk, PhD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Food allergy (FA) has become a major public health concern affecting millions of children and adults worldwide. In Tunisia, published data on FA are scarce. Methods: This study, was intended to fill the gap and estimate the frequency of allergy to different foods in the Sfax region, Tunisia, within self-reported FA. One hundred twenty-five (125) children (56% males, 1–17 years old), and 306 adults (17% males, 18–70 years old) were interviewed using a bilingual questionnaire. Results: The number of self-reported food allergens in this sample was 105; allergens were clustered in 8 foods: fruits, seafood, eggs, milk and dairy, cereals, nuts, vegetables, and peanuts. Cutaneous reactions were the most frequent symptoms, in both children and adults. About 40% of children and 30% of adults had a family history of FA. About 81% of adults and 38% of children are allergic to at least 1 non-food allergen. The most prevalent food allergen was the fruit group in both adults and children, followed by seafood. Most food allergies were mutually exclusive and 90% of individuals have a single FA. The relationship between self-declared FA was modeled using a Bayesian network graphical model in order to estimate conditional probabilities of each FA when other FA is present. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the prevalence of self-reported FA in Tunisia depends on dietary habits and food availability since the most frequent allergens are from foods that are highly consumed by the Tunisian population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:28:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-435488f7bcce4490b6f7592e7ef50856 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1939-4551 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:28:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | World Allergy Organization Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-435488f7bcce4490b6f7592e7ef508562023-10-13T13:53:07ZengElsevierWorld Allergy Organization Journal1939-45512023-09-01169100813Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modelingSabrine Belmabrouk, PhD0Rania Abdelhedi, PhD1Fadia Bougacha, PhD2Fériel Bouzid, PhD3Héla Gargouri, PhD4Imen Ayadi, PhD5Nouha Bouayed Abdelmoula, PhD, MD, Pr6Balkiss Abdelmoula, MD7Nawel Abdellaoui, PhD8Riadh BenMarzoug, PhD9Nersrine Triki, PhD10Mouna Torjmen, PhD11Mohamed Kharrat, PhD12Mohamed Jmaiel, PhD, Pr13Najla Kharrat, PhD14Ahmed Rebai, PhD, Pr15Laboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, TunisiaLaboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, TunisiaNational Institute of Statistics, 70, Ech-cham Road, P.O Box 265 CEDEX. Tunis, TunisiaLaboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, TunisiaLaboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, TunisiaLaboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia; Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, La Soukra Road km 4 - BP 1171-3000, Sfax, TunisiaGenomics of Signalopathies at The Service of Medicine, Medical University of Sfax, Majida Boulila Road, TunisiaGenomics of Signalopathies at The Service of Medicine, Medical University of Sfax, Majida Boulila Road, TunisiaGenomics of Signalopathies at The Service of Medicine, Medical University of Sfax, Majida Boulila Road, TunisiaLaboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, TunisiaLaboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, TunisiaReDCAD, National Engineering School of Sfax, La Soukra Road km4, 3038, Sfax, TunisiaFaculty of Sciences of Sfax, La Soukra Road km 4 - BP 1171-3000, Sfax, TunisiaReDCAD, National Engineering School of Sfax, La Soukra Road km4, 3038, Sfax, TunisiaLaboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, TunisiaLaboratory of Screening Cellular and Molecular Process, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, Sidi Mansour Road km 7, P.O Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia; Corresponding author.Background: Food allergy (FA) has become a major public health concern affecting millions of children and adults worldwide. In Tunisia, published data on FA are scarce. Methods: This study, was intended to fill the gap and estimate the frequency of allergy to different foods in the Sfax region, Tunisia, within self-reported FA. One hundred twenty-five (125) children (56% males, 1–17 years old), and 306 adults (17% males, 18–70 years old) were interviewed using a bilingual questionnaire. Results: The number of self-reported food allergens in this sample was 105; allergens were clustered in 8 foods: fruits, seafood, eggs, milk and dairy, cereals, nuts, vegetables, and peanuts. Cutaneous reactions were the most frequent symptoms, in both children and adults. About 40% of children and 30% of adults had a family history of FA. About 81% of adults and 38% of children are allergic to at least 1 non-food allergen. The most prevalent food allergen was the fruit group in both adults and children, followed by seafood. Most food allergies were mutually exclusive and 90% of individuals have a single FA. The relationship between self-declared FA was modeled using a Bayesian network graphical model in order to estimate conditional probabilities of each FA when other FA is present. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the prevalence of self-reported FA in Tunisia depends on dietary habits and food availability since the most frequent allergens are from foods that are highly consumed by the Tunisian population.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193945512300073XFood allergyPrevalenceProbabilistic modelingSelf-reported surveyTunisia |
| spellingShingle | Sabrine Belmabrouk, PhD Rania Abdelhedi, PhD Fadia Bougacha, PhD Fériel Bouzid, PhD Héla Gargouri, PhD Imen Ayadi, PhD Nouha Bouayed Abdelmoula, PhD, MD, Pr Balkiss Abdelmoula, MD Nawel Abdellaoui, PhD Riadh BenMarzoug, PhD Nersrine Triki, PhD Mouna Torjmen, PhD Mohamed Kharrat, PhD Mohamed Jmaiel, PhD, Pr Najla Kharrat, PhD Ahmed Rebai, PhD, Pr Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modeling World Allergy Organization Journal Food allergy Prevalence Probabilistic modeling Self-reported survey Tunisia |
| title | Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modeling |
| title_full | Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modeling |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modeling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modeling |
| title_short | Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modeling |
| title_sort | prevalence of self reported food allergy in tunisia general trends and probabilistic modeling |
| topic | Food allergy Prevalence Probabilistic modeling Self-reported survey Tunisia |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193945512300073X |
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