Kiwifruit allergies hitting children: British tests

British children as young as 4 months are developing life-threatening allergies to kiwifruit, causing them to vomit, wheeze and collapse, researchers say.

Scientists at Southampton University, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency, fed the fruit to almost 300 people of all ages, including many who had reported having other allergies, the Daily Telegraph reports.

They found that severe symptoms were significantly more likely to occur in young children, with 40 per cent experiencing acute problems. Generally, allergic adults and children react equally to foods such as milk and nuts.

Three-quarters of the children under 6 reacted on their first exposure to the fruit. One in five were sick, had breathing problems or collapsed.

Jane Lucas, a paediatrician and clinical research fellow at Southampton University, told the newspaper: "Children seem to be having a more severe reaction."

The team believes that the rise in cases may be because of greater consumption of the fruit and a general increase in the incidence of food allergies.

Dr Lucas told the Sunday Herald newspaper in Glasgow that her research showed young people to be most at risk.

"I noticed a huge rise in the number of children arriving at our allergy clinic with a kiwifruit allergy, and there was very little research being done in that area, which I hope our study starts to remedy," she said.

"As more people try kiwifruit and it becomes more available, the numbers of sufferers will rise.

"As with peanut allergies, there is no known treatment available at the moment."

Her case studies included a 4-month-old baby who had to be resuscitated after just a tiny taste of the fruit.

The magazine Allergy recently featured the story of Kristjan, 9, who almost died after eating kiwifruit.

He ate the fruit for the first time at age 5 and needed antihistamines to recover from severe swelling to his face.

On the second occasion he ate food that had come into contact with a knife used to cut a kiwifruit. He was rushed to hospital and treated with adrenalin.

Research has revealed that kiwifruit proteins have some chemical similarities to raw Malaysian rubber - used to make latex gloves, balloons and condoms - and those allergic to either kiwifruit or latex experience similar reactions.

Dr Ann Clarke, of the Latex Allergy Support Group, told the Sunday Herald: "Problems are on the increase ... around 1 per cent of the population are allergic to this protein, and there is really not enough awareness of the dangers."

The Southampton researchers studied 273 adults and children suspected of having a kiwifruit allergy, with 45 subjects undergoing testing.

One in five subjects suffered severe symptoms, including collapse, wheezing and vomiting.

Almost all (90 per cent) of the children under 6 in the study had an underlying condition such as hayfever, eczema or asthma, and 60 per cent reported having a peanut allergy.

Kiwifruit is increasingly popular in Britain. More than £21 million ($60 million) worth of the fruit - about 31,000 tonnes - is sold in the country each year.

- NZPA