Pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS)

Abstract

Pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS) is an immediate allergic reaction mediated by immunoglobulin E. This reaction occurs due to cross-reactivity between pollen and food in patients with previous pollen sensitization. PFAS causes symptoms such as itching, hives or oedema, mainly occurring in the lips, orally and pharyngeal, therefore being often referred to as oral allergy syndrome. However, systemic reactions such as anaphylaxis have been described more frequently recently. This diversity in the degree of symptoms is related to the types of trigger foods and the characteristics of the allergens (Jeon et al., 2020).