Determination of ECP Concentration in Patients with Allergic Type of Food Hypersensitivity and in Patients with Dyspeptic Symptoms not Associated with Food Allergy

Introduction. The results of many studies suggest that the tendency towards the prevalence of food allergies is increasing [1, 2, 3]. It is estimated that approximately 20% of population modifies their diet due to adverse reactions observed after ingestion of certain foods [2]. Still, the exact prevalence rate of food allergies in pediatric and adult populations cannot be satisfactorily estimated [4]. The aim of this study was to determine serum concentrations of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in patients with allergic type of food sensitivity and to compare them to data obtained from patients with dyspeptic disorders without a concomitant allergic condition. Material and methods. This study included a group of 80 patients; among them 50 individuals with diagnosed food sensitivity based on existing standards, and 30 subjects with dyspeptic symptoms without an associated allergic condition. Venous blood was collected from each participant and ECP concentration was determined by means of fluoro-immunoenzyme assay (FIA) with UniCAP ECP test (Pharmacia Diagnostics). Results. The arithmetic mean serum ECP concentration in patients with food allergy was found to be 24.604 ± 40.36 μg/l. In all individuals, serum ECP concentrations were within the detection limit of the applied method. The average concentration of ECP in a group of subjects without food allergy was determined to be 29.9±64.76 μg/l and did not exceed the lower or the upper detection limit of the applied method. Conclusions. Patients with food allergy did not differ significantly from those with dyspeptic symptoms without a concomitant allergy in terms of ECP concentration (Mann-Whitney U test, p=0.754218).