Auriculotemporal Syndrome Seen Clinically as Food Allergy

Abstract

Adverse food reactions are common complaints to the general pediatrician. True hypersensitivity reactions are only a small part of the overall incidence of reactions. Other conditions that are initially thought to be food allergies include enzyme deficiencies, food poisoning, and pharmacologic agents in foods. We describe four children with parental complaints of "food allergies." For each child, auriculotemporal or Frey syndrome was later diagnosed. Because of its benign nature, Frey syndrome is important to recognize to avoid unnecessary laboratory testing and extensive referrals. CASE REPORTS Patient 1 A 4-year-old white girl had a history of food allergy that caused flushing of the left cheek. According to the mother, this flushing seemed most apparent after the child ingested red foods such as tomatoes, strawberries, and red candy.