Özet:

Background: Food poisonings are a health problem of concern to the general community and are constantly encountered in emergency departments. This study was intended to describe our experience of 57 cases of urticaria developing following strawberry consumption. Materials and Methods: The records of 57 cases of urticaria developing following strawberry consumption were examined retrospectively. Sex (male, female), age (months), strawberry consumption status, number of strawberries eaten, emergency department presentation symptoms, and laboratory tests were examined from file records. Patients found to have consumed strawberries were enrolled as the study group (Group 1), and children of a similar age presenting to our hospital for routine child health checks were recruited as the study group (Group 2). Results: Forty (70.2) of the patients in Group 1 were girls and 17 (29.8%) were boys, with a mean age of 130.7 ± 7.05 (117-143) months. Ninety-eight (67.1%) of the cases in Group 2 were girls and 48 (32.9%) were boys, with a mean age of 132.1 ± 7.05 (120-144) months. Analysis of emergency department presentations revealed that the most common symptom was itching and body rash in 20 (35.1%) cases. Comparison of complete body count parameters revealed statistically significant differences in terms of white blood cell count, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, basophil, eosinophil, mean platelet volume, and platelet count values. Conclusion: It is important to inquire into foods consumed at differential diagnosis of eruptions occurring simultaneously in several individuals in communal living areas. Microbiological and toxicological analysis will be beneficial if the foodstuff is determined. Key words: Strawberry, Child, Poisoning