Egg Allergy Common After Liver Transplant

Allergic reaction to certain foods, especially egg, is a common occurrence in children who receive liver transplants, reported a study presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Researchers reviewed the medical records of 106 children who received liver transplants, most commonly for biliary atresia, between 2005 and 2010. Of the participants, 14% of the children (10 females and 5 males) developed food allergies within 2 years of their transplant.

‘The common scenario for the development of food allergy after liver transplantation is young children who are on a regimen of tacrolimus after receiving a liver from a non-allergic donor,” said Tetsuo Shoda, MD, of the National Center for Child Health and Development in Tokyo.

“There might be unknown factors specific to liver transplantation, because only few reports have described food allergy after transplantation of other solid organs, such as the kidney or heart.”

Of the children that developed food allergy, 80% had hives and angioedema, while 50% had gastrointestinal symptoms.  Half of the children developed an allergy to eggs. 

Biliary atresia accounted for 11 of the 15 transplants. 

“The children with biliary atresia had surgical operations several times before their liver transplants,” Shoda concluded.  “Frequent operations might play a role in generating the food allergy.” 

-Michael Potts