Low immune cell ARA and high plasma 12-HETE and 17-HDHA in iron-deficient South African school children with allergy

•Total phospholipid ARA in PBMC was lower in allergic children.•Plasma 12-HETE and 17-HDHA were higher in allergic children.•A fatty acid composition and lipid mediator levels indicative of increased release of ARA from PBMC membranes, increased inflammation as well as the resolving thereof, were associated with parent-reported allergy symptoms.

Allergy has been associated with altered fatty acid and inflammatory status. In this cross-sectional study of 321 rural iron deficient (ID) South African children (aged 6–11 years), a subsample (n=111) of children with parent-reported allergy data were divided into an allergic (n=30) and non-allergic (n=81) group and compared. PBMC arachidonic acid (ARA; P=0.010) and the PBMC ARA to dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) ratio (P=0.035) were lower in the allergic children. Plasma 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and 17-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid (17-HDHA) were higher (P=0.040 and 0.020, respectively) in the allergic group. Thus, a fatty acid composition and lipid mediator levels indicative of increased release of ARA from PBMC membranes, increased inflammation as well as the resolving thereof, were associated with parent-reported allergy symptoms. This study used baseline data of an intervention study which was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01092377.