Effects of elimination diets and clinical findings on mothers’ anxiety in infants with food allergy with non-life-threatening reactions

SUMMARY

Background. In food allergies (FA), the current treatment is eliminating the responsible food from the diet until tolerance develops. We aimed to determine the effects of the mother’s elimination diets and clinical findings on the mothers’ anxiety in infants with food allergy (FA) with non-life-threatening reactions. Methods. Our study included 100 infants with FA and 35 healthy infants as control. A data form was prepared to collect information about the infants’ and their mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics, clinical findings, features of the mother’s elimination diet, and FA-related internet search. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was applied to all mothers. Results. The STAI (state anxiety and trait anxiety) scores of the mothers of the infants with FA were higher than the control group (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively). Of the infants with FA, 51% had food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis (FPIAP), 29% had atopic dermatitis (AD), 20% had urticaria-angioedema (U/aE). It was found that state anxiety scores were higher in mothers whose child had FPIAP, who had multiple food eliminations, who followed the allergy groups on social media, and who made the elimination diet herself (p = 0.008, p = 0.048, p < 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively). Conclusions. The state anxiety and trait anxiety of the mothers of the infants with FA were higher than the control group, and the state anxiety scores were higher especially in the mothers of infants with FPIAP and multiple food elimination.

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