Background: Nut sensitization in China is not well-documented. Component-resolved diagnosis (CRD) technology can distinguish true food allergies from pollen-induced cross-sensitizations without the risks associated with oral food challenge (OFC) tests. This study aims to explore the major sensitizing components and cross-reactivity of nuts in pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS) patients. Methods: This study evaluated the sensitization profiles of 104 self-reported PFAS patients to crude extracts and major allergenic components of pollen and nuts. Furthermore, we conducted serum inhibition assays to validate the cross-reactivity between pollen and nut allergens. Results: The study revealed that PFAS patients were predominantly from northern China, where sensitization to weed pollen, particularly mugwort, was higher than that to tree and grass pollen and the most common nut allergens identified were hazelnut and walnut. Further analysis using CRD and serum inhibition assays indicated a common cross sensitization between pollen and nut allergens. Notably, the hazelnut component Cor a 1-sIgE was significantly inhibited by birch pollen and Bet v 1, while Cor a 8-sIgE showed effective inhibition by mugwort pollen and Art v 3. Conclusion: This is the first study to evaluate nut sensitization and its major sensitizing components in Chinese PFAS patients, confirming the presence of cross-sensitization between pollen and nut allergens. Specifically, birch and mugwort pollen significantly inhibited the binding of hazelnut to IgE. These findings provide component-resolved insights into the prevalence and mechanisms of food allergies in China, enhancing our understanding of the allergenic landscape and informing management strategies.

Changes in sensitization rates in patients with asthma and/or rhinitis in China between 2008 and 2018: a national cross-sectional studyWanjun Wang1*, Jianhong Wang2*, Guihua Song3*, Hua Xie4*, Xiaoping Lin4*, Ruonan Chai4*, Rongfei Zhu5*, Yong He6*, Jun Tang7*, Junge Wang8*, Jinghua Yang9*, Lili Zhi10*, Lin Wu11*, Yan Jiang12*, Xiaoqin Zhou13*, Dongming Huang14*, Ning Wang15*, Rui Xu16*, Yuan Gao17*, Zhimin Chen18*, Jinling Liu18*, Xiaoli Han19*, Guolin Tan20*, Jinzhun Wu21*, Deyu Zhao22*, Jianjun Chen23*, Xiwei Zhang24*, Mengrong Li24*, Yuemei Sun25*, Yi Jiang26*, Weitian Zhang27*, Qianhui Qiu28*, Chuanhe Liu29*, Jie Yin30*, Guodong Hao31*, Huabin Li32*, Yongsheng Xu33*, Shaohua Chen34*, Hua Zhang35, Shi Chen36, Juan Meng37, Dan Zeng38, Wei Tang39, Chuangli Hao40, Jing Li1†, Nanshan Zhong1†, for the China Alliance of Research on Respiratory Allergic Disease*Contributed equally†Joint corresponding authors1 National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University;2 The First People’s Hospital of Yibin, Sichuan;3 The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine;4 General Hospital of Northern Theater Command;5 Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science&Technology;6 The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Ningbo University;7 Foshan First people’s hospital;8 Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine;9 GuangDong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine;10 The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Institute of Respiratory Diseases;11 Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese;12 The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University;13 Hubei Province Maternal and Child Health Hospital;14 Boai Hospital of Zhongshan City;15 Xi’an Children’s Hospital;16 The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun-Yat University;17 The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University;18 Children’s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health;19 Hebei General Hospital;20 Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University;21 The Women and Children’s Hospital affiliated to Xiamen University;22 Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University;23 Union hospital of Tongji medical college;24 The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University;25 Yu Huang Ding Hospital;26 The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University;27 Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital;28 Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University;29 Children’s Hospital Capital Institute of Pediatrics;30 Chengdu First People’s Hospital;31 Tangshan Gongren Hospital;32 ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University;33 Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University;34 Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital;35 The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University;36 Hainan provincial people’s Hospital;37 West China Hospital of Sichuan University;38 Chongqing General Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;39 Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University;40 Children’s Hospital of Soochow University.