(Excerpts from NIH, Nov. 4, 2019): Sesame allergy is common among children with other food allergies, occurring in an estimated 17% of this population. In addition, the scientists have found that sesame antibody testing accurately predicts whether a child with food allergy is allergic to sesame. The research was published on Oct. 28 in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

Sesame is among the 10 most common childhood food allergies. Only an estimated 20% to 30% of children with sesame allergy outgrow it. Severe reactions to sesame are common among sesame-allergic children. These factors underscore the need to optimize recognition and diagnosis of this allergy.

The Food and Drug Administration is currently considering whether to include sesame in the list of allergens that must be disclosed on food labels.

Scientists led by Pamela A. Frischmeyer-Guerrerio, M.D., Ph.D., deputy chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Allergic Diseases and chief of its Food Allergy Research Unit, evaluated the sesame antibody test in a group of 119 children with food allergy whose sesame-allergic status was unknown.

The scientists found that 15 (13%) of the 119 children were sesame-allergic, 73 (61%) were sesame-tolerant, and sesame-allergic status could not be determined for 31 (26%) children, mainly because they declined the oral food challenge.

Among the 88 children whose sesame-allergic status was definitive, 17% had sesame allergy. Children with more than 29.4 kilo international units of sIgE per liter of serum have a greater than 50% chance of being allergic to sesame.

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

President Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO)

Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications

President Heart Care Foundation of India

Past National President IMA