food allergy

Lentil allergy

Lentils are edible seeds produced by the Lens culinaris plant (Fabaceae Family - Legumes -, Genus Lens and Specie culinaris ). The legume family is very large and includes some potentially allergenic vegetables such as peanuts and soy. However, in the literature there is no evidence of experimental or relevant quantity descriptions dealing with type I hypersensitivity to lentils.

Unfortunately, in the medical field, sometimes awareness is reached only when a pathology appears; this is the case of a little girl who, after eating lentils, showed severe anaphylactic reactions on more than one occasion.

Once the acute phase was averted, a diagnostic procedure was carried out in order to identify the triggering agent of the aforementioned anaphylase. To do this, two diagnostic tools were used: the skin test and the antibody dosage. By administering some cooked legume extracts, the first instrument, or prick test, analyzed the dermatological reaction, while the second or CAP-RIA quantified the presence of type E immunoglobulin (IgE) in serum.

The 8-year-old girl suffered four episodes of anaphylaxis related to the consumption of lentils (rebellious between 3 and 7 years). The first three were triggered by the ingestion of cooked lentils and, in each of the circumstances, small quantities of the food were sufficient. The fourth episode, instead, occurred with the inhalation of vapors released during the cooking of a lentil soup. Subsequently, the child showed a form of hives in contact with chickpeas and an anaphylactic reaction after ingesting the same cooked legume.

Prick tests showed strongly positive reactions to lentils and chickpeas, and weak positive reactions to peanuts, peas, soy and white beans. The CAP-RIA of lentils gave a class 6 result; Class 5 for peanuts, peas and soy; class 4 for white beans and class 0 for green beans.

Ultimately, for this clinical case, a reaction of severe type I hypersensitivity to lentils was observed, which was then associated with hypersensitivity to chickpeas. The prick test and the CAP-RIA have also demonstrated various positive reactions to other legumes.

To conclude, even lentils can trigger anaphylactic reactions, which is why it is always advisable to introduce all "new" foods one at a time and potentially allergenic ones in safe conditions in children being weaned.