Clinical Research
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 21, 2006; 12(15): 2382-2387
Published online Apr 21, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i15.2382
Food intolerance and skin prick test in treated and untreated irritable bowel syndrome
Dae-Won Jun, Oh-Young Lee, Ho-Joo Yoon, Seok-Hwa Lee, Hang-Lak Lee, Ho-Soon Choi, Byung-Chul Yoon, Min-Ho Lee, Dong-Hoo Lee, Sang-Hoen Cho
Dae-Won Jun, Oh-Young Lee, Ho-Joo Yoon, Hang-Lak Lee, Ho-Soon Choi, Byung-Chul Yoon, Min-Ho Lee, Dong-Hoo Lee, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
Seok-Hwa Lee, Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
Sang-Hoen Cho, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Supported by a grant from the Korea Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility Research Funds (project No. 2003530).
Correspondence to: Oh-Young Lee, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea 17 Haengdang-dong, Sungdong-ku, Seoul 133-791, Korea. leeoy@hanyang.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-2-22908343 Fax: +82-2-2298-9183
Received: July 23, 2005
Revised: October 9, 2005
Accepted: October 10, 2005
Published online: April 21, 2006
Abstract

AIM: To correlate the clinical features of treated and untreated patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to the results of skin prick test (SPT) for food and inhalant allergens.

METHODS: We recruited 105 subjects to form three different target groups: treated group (n = 44) undergoing treatment for IBS, untreated group (n = 31) meeting the Rome II criteria without treatment for IBS, control group (n = 30) with no IBS symptoms.

RESULTS: SPT results were different among the three groups in which SPT was positive in 17 (38.6%) treated patients, in 5 (16.1%) untreated patients and in 1 (3.3%) control (P < 0.01). The number of positive SPTs was greater in the IBS group than in the control group (P < 0.001). The number of positive food SPTs was higher in the treated IBS group than in the untreated IBS group (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION: Positive food SPT is higher in IBS patients than in controls.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome, Skin prick test, Food allergy