Prevalence of Pork Allergy in Korea

Son, Jee Hee; Choi, Yong Won; Cho, Yong Se; Byun, Yu Sun; Chung, Bo Young; Cho, Hee Jin; Kim, Hye One; Park, Chun Wook

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Pork is one of the most widely consumed meats in Korea. With increased consumption of pork, it has become one of the most common causes of food allergy in Korea. However, actual data on the prevalence of pork allergy in Korea are limited.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of pork allergy in Korea.
METHODS
The outpatient attendees of the dermatology department of Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital were randomly screened and assessed for a self-reported history of pork allergy through face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires. Blood samples were taken from the patients to measure serum pork-specific IgE. Based on their history and laboratory results, patients were further examined by skin prick test (SPT) and open oral food challenge (OFC) tests.
RESULTS
Five-hundred participants answered the screening questionnaire. Among all participants, nine (1.8%) participants claimed to have experienced adverse reactions to pork previously. Among 100 participants who underwent blood sampling, five (5%) participants had elevated level of serum IgE specific to pork. However, among nine participants with self-reported pork allergy, two participants (0.22%) showed a positive reaction on the open OFC test.
CONCLUSION
Some participants claimed to have a history of adverse reaction related to pork intake; however, few of them showed positive results in allergy tests. We therefore conclude that the prevalence of pork allergy is extremely low in Korea.