Food allergy and eczema in children

The link between childhood food allergy and eczema is not well understood. Researchers at the Danish Allergy Research Centre have investigated the relationship using data from a cohort of children aged from birth to 18 months and 3 to 6 years. The cohort included 562 children, 122 of whom have atopic dermatitis (a form of eczema).

Using interviews, skin prick tests, specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) tests, and food challenges, eighteen children with atopic dermatitis were confirmed to have food hypersensitivity to milk, egg, and peanut. Food hypersensitivity was found to be IgE-mediated in 95% of the cases. A number of children were additionally sensitised to other foods yet they tolerated these products in food challenges.

The study found the prevalence of food hypersensitivity within the cohort group peaked at the age of 18 months (3.6%), and by 72 months of age it had decreased to 1.2%. No new cases were found in children over the age of 3 years.

The overall results of the study lead the researchers to conclude that sensitisation to foods in young children without food allergy seems to be a normal phenomenon, however there is a discrepancy between sensitisation, self-reported food-related symptoms and confirmed IgE mediated food hypersensitivity. They believe their work demonstrates a need for the combination of parental reporting and clinical examination with a standardised oral challenge in order to establish a diagnosis of true food allergy.

Reference: Eller et al. 2009. Allergy. Vol 64 (7) pp. 1023-1029.