Prevalence of Allergies and Food Intolerance: a Comparison Between the Persian Community and Canadians of European Descent

Background: The prevalence of reported allergic diseases is higher in North-America than in other countries around the world. Further, certain types of allergies are more common in some geographic regions or amongst different ethnic populations. This phenomenon has not been well studied amongst the Persian population in the Canadian context; therefore, the current study aimed to compare the prevalence of perceived and diagnosed non-food and food allergies, and food intolerance between Canadians of Persian descent (CPD) and Canadians of European descent (CED), within a sample population of British Columbia residents, their family members and close friends.   Methods: Participants were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling, and information about allergy history was collected through in-person and telephone interviews. The prevalence of perceived and diagnosed allergies and food intolerances were compared between CPD and CED. In total, data was reported about 4,404 individuals. Results: The prevalence of all perceived allergies was significantly higher amongst CED compared to CPD [RR (95%CI) = 2.33 (1.6, 3.3)]. A similar pattern was observed for diagnosed food and nut allergy. As well, no cases of perceived or diagnosed food intolerance were reported amongst Persians in the study population. Conclusion: In conclusion, these findings have clinical implications for the treatment and prevention of allergies and food intolerance in BC and Canada. The disproportionate effect of allergies and food intolerance on Canadians of European descent warrants the implementation of targeted public health prevention measures. The genitival and environmental reasons for lack of food intolerance in Canadians of Persian descent should also be investigated.