Food allergy is an inducement of recurrent acute suppurative parotitis in children

Background Bacterial retrograde infection caused by decreased saliva secretion is the main cause of recurrent acute suppurative parotitis (RASP) in children. Allergies inhibit saliva secretion. Therefore, we designed this study to identify the relationship between food allergy and RASP in children. Methods This study is a prospective, open-label, two-arm randomised cohort study of food allergy is an inducement for RASP in children. We will enrol children, who are under 14 years with serum IgE positive with ASP and 2 or more recurrent episodes within a year. Participants will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to usual care or anti-allergic treatment with telephone follow-up for 1 year. The primary objective is to compare the difference of recurrence times in 2 groups. Results The numbers of recurrence before and after the intervention of the interventional group were significantly different, while the numbers of recurrence before and after the intervention of the control group were not significantly different. There were significant differences in the numbers of recurrence after intervention between the interventional group and the control group, while there were no significant differences in age and the numbers of recurrence before intervention. The correlation coefficient between food allergy and childhood RASP was 0.817 (p=0.000). Conclusions Food allergy is significantly correlated with childhood RASP. Avoiding food allergies can significantly reduce the recurrence of RASP