Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics
Expression patterns of fecal iron metabolism-related proteins in infants with food allergy
By Zhou ZB, Zhang J and Li ZL.
Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the expression patterns of fecal iron metabolism-related proteins at the early stage of food allergy (FA) onset in infants, and to explore the association between imbalance of local intestinal iron homeostasis and infant FA.
Methods
A nested case-control design within a prospective clinical cohort was used. From October 2024 to June 2025, 162 infants with suspected FA were recruited from outpatient clinics, the child health department, and community settings, and classified into an FA group (n=88) and a non-FA group (n=74) according to standardized oral food challenge results. Baseline fecal samples collected prior to diagnosis were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for iron metabolism-related proteins, and fecal non-heme iron content was measured. Group differences were compared.