Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effect of timing and type of allergenic food introduction on allergic diseases in infants. Methods Exclusively breastfed children attending the Department of Child Health of Guang⁃ dong Women and Children′s Hospital from January 2017 to December 2020 were selected as the subjects，and a cohort was established with regular follow⁃up. Data on the timing and types of allergenic food introduced and the occurrence of allergic diseases in infants were collected and statistically analyzed to compare the differences in the occurrence of allergic diseases in infants when allergenic food was introduced at different times and when different types of allergenic food were added at the same timing. Results A total of 554 infants were included，and 198 cases were diagnosed with allergic diseases during the follow⁃up，with an overall prevalence of 35.74%. The proportion of allergic diseases occurring in infants introduced with allergenic foods at < 4 months，4 ~ 6 months，and 6 ~ 12 months of age was 57.1%（n = 84），24.4%（n = 246），and 40.2%（n = 224），respectively，with statistically significant differences among the 3 groups（P < 0.05）. In contrast，there was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of allergic diseases in infants with different types of allergenic foods added at the same timing（P > 0.05）. Conclusion The timing of allergenic food introduction rather than the type may affect the occurrence of allergic diseases in infants，and the introduction of allergenic food in exclusively breastfed children at 4 ~ 6 months of age may have a protective effect on the occurrence of allergic diseases in infants.

Key words:

allergenic foods, allergic diseases, infants, complementary food introduction