420 Lentil Allergy: First Report from Venezuela

BACKGROUND: Allergy to lentils is infrequent in Latin America: this a first case report from Venezuela. A 5 year old female preschooler attended our allergology clinic with chief complaint of generalized giant urticaria inmediately after ingestion of cooked lentils; clinical history revealed frequent (>3) emergency visits, since the age of one year, with facial angioedema and generalized urticaria even from inhalation of vapors while cooking of lentils at home; moreover, also symptoms described ocurred while eating foods containing chick peas; lentils, as other beans (black, red, chick), belong to the leguminosa family along with peanuts and coconut. METHODS: Prick lancetter skin tests (H-S) to a panel of 25 inhalant and food allergens (Diater Labs, Argentina) were performed along with Prick to Prick tests to raw and cooked lentils, chickpeas, black beans, navy beans and coconut. A papule >3 mm and read at 10 minutes was considered positive. RESULTS: All other allergens tested were negative, that is, epithelia, molds, cockroach, grasses, mosquito, milk, egg, wheat, fishmix, shrimp and other seafood, nuts, hazelnut, almond, coconut and blackbeans. [Table: see text] CONCLUSIONS: 1. Prick to Prick testing confirms specific IgE presence to Lentils; our patient could tolerate peanuts and cocunut. Positive prick test to peanuts likely represent a cross reaction(1); 2. Lupin flour (Lupinus Albus), from the Leguminosa family, is found increasingly used in industrially prepared foods and could elicit symptoms due to cross reactions, and advice to family was given accordingly(2); 3. This is the first case report from Venezuela.