Buckwheat allergy: a potential problem in 21st century Britain.

ABSTRACT

Buckwheat is commonly consumed in many parts of the world and has recently become more available in the UK. Buckwheat allergy is well recognised in parts of mainland Europe and Asia, typically associated with consumption of specific regional foods. No adult cases of buckwheat allergy in the UK have been reported in the literature. The authors present two cases of buckwheat allergy that presented to our UK allergy service recently. A 57-year-old man presented with anaphylaxis after eating home-baked bread prepared using buckwheat flour bought in France. In the second case, a 63-year-old lady presented with bronchospasm and urticaria after consuming health-food muesli. Sensitisation was confirmed in both cases by positive skin prick testing and specific IgE to buckwheat. Given the growing popularity of foods that may contain buckwheat, including ethnic and health-food ranges, buckwheat allergy is likely to become increasingly common in the UK.