ABSTRACT
One of the most common causes of food allergy in infants and young children is eggs, although according to studies, most outgrow the allergy by the age of 5 years. Hen’s egg is an essential ingredient in human as well as animal foods and is difficult to eliminate from the diet (1). Due to its high protein content, its introduction into the daily diet is necessary. Most people who are allergic react to the proteins in egg white, but some cannot tolerate the proteins in the yolk as well. Egg yolk has been considered less allergenic than egg white. Up to 24 different proteins have been isolated from egg white, but the antigenicity of most of these proteins is unknown. The prevalence of egg allergy is about 35% among foodallergic children and children with atopic dermatitis (2). It is more frequent in younger children who are younger than 3 years old than in older children and adults (3). It has been reported that the prevalence of egg allergy in children is maximum between 1.5 and 3 years of age. In the case of double-blind placebocontrolled food challenge (DBPCFC)-positive children with atopic dermatitis, the prevalence rate could be up to 45% (4). Seventy-six percent of sensitizations to egg proteins are found in children below 5 years, and 12% are found between the ages of 10 and 15 years.
