Adult onset egg allergy: a case report

BACKGROUND: Egg allergy is one of the most frequent food allergies in childhood while adult onset of egg allergy is a rare condition. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 30 years old man sent to our center in order to investigate gastrointestinal symptoms occurring since 2 years after egg and derivatives intake. He did not suffer from egg or other food allergies in childhood. He is an active smoker with a contact dermatitis related to nickel and mild allergic rhinoconjunctivitis to grass pollen. Skin prick test and serum specific IgE to egg were performed and revealed sensitization to egg proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Even though IgE-mediated egg allergy affects children, this report witnesses a rare case of adult onset.