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Background: Coexistence of childhood asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis is higher than can be expected by chance, suggesting a common mechanism. Data on allergic multimorbidity from a pan‐European, population‐based birth cohort study have been lacking. This study compares the prevalence and early‐life risk factors of these diseases in European primary school children. Methods: In the prospective multicentre observational EuroPrevall‐iFAAM birth cohort study, we used standardized questionnaires on sociodemographics, medical history, parental allergies and lifestyle, and environmental exposures at birth, 12 and 24 months. At primary school age, parents answered ISAAC‐based questions on current asthma, rhinitis and eczema. Allergic multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of at least two of these. Results: From 10,563 children recruited at birth in 8 study centres, we included data from 5,572 children (mean age 8.2 years; 51.8% boys). Prevalence estimates were as follows: asthma, 8.1%; allergic rhinitis, 13.3%; and eczema, 12.0%. Allergic multimorbidity was seen in 7.0% of the whole cohort, ranging from 1.2% (Athens, Greece) to 10.9% (Madrid, Spain). Risk factors for allergic multimorbidity, identified with AICc, included family‐allergy‐score, odds ratio (OR) 1.50 (95% CI 1.32–1.70) per standard deviation; early‐life allergy symptoms, OR 2.72 (2.34–3.16) for each symptom; and caesarean birth, OR 1.35 (1.04–1.76). Female gender, OR 0.72 (0.58–0.90); older siblings, OR 0.79 (0.63–0.99); and day care, OR 0.81 (0.63–1.06) were protective factors. Conclusion: Allergic multimorbidity should be regarded as an important chronic childhood disease in Europe. Some of the associated early‐life factors are modifiable and may be considered for prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The heterogeneity and lack of validation of existing severity scores for food allergic reactions limit standardization of case management and research advances. We aimed to develop and validate a severity score for food allergic reactions. Methods: Following a multidisciplinary experts consensus, it was decided to develop a food allergy severity score (FASS) with ordinal (oFASS) and numerical (nFASS) formats. oFASS with 3 and 5 grades were generated through expert consensus, and nFASS by mathematical modeling. Evaluation was performed in the EuroPrevall outpatient clinic cohort (8232 food reactions) by logistic regression with request of emergency care and medications used as outcomes. Discrimination, classification, and calibration were calculated. Bootstrapping internal validation was followed by external validation (logistic regression) in 5 cohorts (3622 food reactions). Correlation of nFASS with the severity classification done by expert allergy clinicians by Best‐Worst Scaling of 32 food reactions was calculated. Results: oFASS and nFASS map consistently, with nFASS having greater granularity. With the outcomes emergency care, adrenaline and critical medical treatment, oFASS and nFASS had a good discrimination (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve [ROC‐AUC]>0.80), classification (sensitivity 0.87–0.92, specificity 0.73–0.78), and calibration. Bootstrapping over ROC‐AUC showed negligible biases (1.0 × 10−6–1.23 × 10−3). In external validation, nFASS performed best with higher ROC‐AUC. nFASS was strongly correlated (R 0.89) to best‐worst scoring of 334 expert clinicians. Conclusion: FASS is a validated and reliable method to measure severity of food allergic reactions. The ordinal and numerical versions that map onto each other are suitable for use by different stakeholders in different settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: EAACI guidelines emphasize the importance of patient history in diagnosing food allergy (FA) and the need for studies investigating its value using standardized allergy‐focused questionnaires. Objective: To determine the contribution of reaction characteristics, allergic comorbidities and demographics to prediction of FA in individuals experiencing food‐related adverse reactions. Methods: Adult and school‐age participants in the standardized EuroPrevall population surveys, with self‐reported FA, were included. Penalized multivariable regression was used to assess the association of patient history determinants with "probable" FA, defined as a food‐specific case history supported by relevant IgE sensitization. Results: In adults (N = 844), reproducibility of reaction (OR 1.35 [95% CI 1.29‐1.41]), oral allergy symptoms (OAS) (4.46 [4.19‐4.75]), allergic rhinitis (AR) comorbidity (2.82 [2.68‐2.95]), asthma comorbidity (1.38 [1.30‐1.46]) and male sex (1.50 [1.41‐1.59]) were positively associated with probable FA. Gastrointestinal symptoms (0.88 [0.85‐0.91]) made probable FA less likely. The AUC of a model combining all selected predictors was 0.85 after cross‐validation. In children (N = 670), OAS (2.26 [2.09‐2.44]) and AR comorbidity (1.47 [CI 1.39‐1.55]) contributed most to prediction of probable FA, with a combined cross‐validation‐based AUC of 0.73. When focusing on plant foods, the dominant source of FA in adults, the pediatric model also included gastrointestinal symptoms (inverse association), and the AUC increased to 0.81. Conclusions: In both adults and school‐age children from the general population, reporting of OAS and of AR comorbidity appear to be the strongest predictors of probable FA. Patient history particularly allows for good discrimination between presence and absence of probable plant FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of food allergy (FA) among European school children is poorly defined. Estimates have commonly been based on parent‐reported symptoms. We aimed to estimate the frequency of FA and sensitization against food allergens in primary school children in eight European countries. Methods: A follow‐up assessment at age 6‐10 years of a multicentre European birth cohort based was undertaken using an online parental questionnaire, clinical visits including structured interviews and skin prick tests (SPT). Children with suspected FA were scheduled for double‐blind, placebo‐controlled oral food challenges (DBPCFC). Results: A total of 6105 children participated in this school‐age follow‐up (57.8% of 10 563 recruited at birth). For 982 of 6069 children (16.2%), parents reported adverse reactions after food consumption in the online questionnaire. Of 2288 children with parental face‐to‐face interviews and/or skin prick testing, 238 (10.4%) were eligible for a DBPCFC. Sixty‐three foods were challenge‐tested in 46 children. Twenty food challenges were positive in 17 children, including seven to hazelnut and three to peanut. Another seventy‐one children were estimated to suffer FA among those who were eligible but refused DBPCFC. This yielded prevalence estimates for FA in school age between 1.4% (88 related to all 6105 participants of this follow‐up) and 3.8% (88 related to 2289 with completed eligibility assessment). Interpretation: In primary school children in eight European countries, the prevalence of FA was lower than expected even though parents of this cohort have become especially aware of allergic reactions to food. There was moderate variation between centres hampering valid regional comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]