The aim of the study was to establish the cause-and-effect relationship between food allergy and respiratory symptoms and to characterize respiratory symptoms in particular age groups. We established that hypersensitivity to cow milk proteins, eggs, fish, meat, vegetables and fruit was the main cause of recurrent respiratory disorders in a group of 80 children, aged 2 months to 6 years. Moreover, 45% of the children had elevated IgEt levels, 29% had positive food skin prick tests and 33% had positive skin prick tests with extracts of inhaled allergens. In the youngest age group (2-12 months) recurrent bronchitis and/or pneumonia predominated (65%), accompanied most frequently by atopic dermatitis (60%) and gastro-intestinal symptoms (47%). Children aged 1 to 3 years were found to have upper respiratory symptoms (chronic rhinitis - 60% nasal congestion - 7.5% recurrent pharymgo-laryngitis - 55%) and obvious constitutional features of allergy. In children aged 3 to 6 years the most frequent findings were chronic rhinitis (70%), nasal congestion (17%), recurrent pharyngo-laryngitis (60%), skin manifestations (20%) and gastro-intestinal symptoms (20%).

Keywords: food allergy, respiratory symptoms