Abstract: Objective To explore the relationship between the major allergens of 6 common allergic foods and IgA nephropathy.
Methods A sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the serum levels of
food-specific IgA1, IgG and IgE in 31 patients with IgA nephropathy and 80 healthy volunteers. All the patients were
examined for a history of food allergy using a questionnaire. Results Serum levels of IgA1 and IgG against the major allergens
of the 6 common allergic foods were significantly higher in patients with IgA nephropathy than in healthy volunteers (P<0.05).
There was no detectable food-specific IgE antibodies in the two groups. No patients had a clear history of food allergy. All the
patients with increased IgG levels specific to 4 or more foods simultaneously had proteinuria. Conclusion Some foods
especially the highly allergic ones may participate in the pathogenesis and progression of IgA nephropathy.