Egg allergy – where we stand in 2022?

Food allergy is an immune-mediated reaction and represents only a small part of food-induced adverse reactions. Hen’s egg allergy is the most common form of allergy in children. The clinical manifestations of hen’s egg allergy are noticed especially in the first two years of life, with more than half of the patients presenting the resolution of clinical manifestations by the age of 5. Data from the literature show an incidence of egg allergy of 1.6% in the first year of life and a cumulative incidence of 2.4‑2.6% in the first two years. The prevalence estimate is heterogeneous and depends on the age at which the diagnosis of egg allergy was established, but especially on the method of reporting and confirming the positive diagnosis. Self-reporting is associated with high prevalence rates, whereas confirmation of allergy by double-blind placebo-controlled oral challenge test is associated with a significantly lower prevalence. The global prevalence regardless of age of hen’s egg allergy is estimated at 2.5% in the general population. Hen’s egg allergy can persist even after the age of 5, but in a smaller percentage, and over 60% of the patients with persistent egg allergy can tolerate foods containing baked or cooked egg.