Occupational food allergy

Occupational food allergy: Purpose of review

Occupation is an important contributing factor in the presentation of allergic disease in adults. This review article focuses on the contribution of occupation to the development and presentation of food allergies.

Recent findings

A variety of occupations involve repeated transdermal and respiratory exposures to food-related allergens, which can result in sensitization. A sensitized individual can then manifest symptoms of food allergy after ingestion of the relevant food, even in a nonoccupational setting. Cooks and other food-processing workers bear increased risk for being sensitized to foods. Although any type of food can become a causal agent for this phenomenon, published cases of occupational food allergy concentrate on fish and seafood allergies among cooks and food-processing workers who come into direct contact with these foods. Latex–fruit syndrome is also a relatively common form of occupational food allergy among healthcare workers. Hand eczema has also been shown to be an important risk factor for occupational sensitization to food allergens.

Summary

The association of occupation with food allergy in adults has been documented. Considering the under-recognized nature of this phenomenon, we should be aware in our clinical practice that a patient's occupation might be relevant to his or her food allergy.

Correspondence to Yuma Fukutomi, MD, PhD, Clinical Research Center for Allergy and Rheumatology, National Hospital Organization Sagamihara National Hospital, 18-1 Sakuradai, Minami-ku, Sagamihara 252-0392, Kanagawa, Japan. Tel: +81 42 742 8311; fax: +81 42 742 7990; e-mail: fukutomi.yuma.da@mail.hosp.go.jp

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