Effect of atopic dermatitis on the natural course of food allergy in infants and young children

Purpose: There have been studies showing that food allergyplays a role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. However, there have been few studies about the effect of atopic dermatitison remission of food allergy. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the dif-ference in remission according to the presence of atopic dermatitisin infants and young children with milk or egg allergy. Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 109 infants and young children with IgE-mediated food allergyin a tertiary hos-pital. They divided into food allergywith atopic dermatitis(FA with AD) and without atopic dermatitis(FA without AD). Results: In the milk allergygroup, initial milk-specific IgE levels were 21.16±27.98 kU A /L and 11.36±22.88 kU A /L, respectively, in FA with AD and FA without AD under 12 months of age. The remission rates of milk allergyat 36 months of age were 64.9% and 90.0%, respectively, in FA with AD and FA without AD. In the egg allergygroups, initial egg-specific IgE levels were 34.48±36.72 kU A /L and 15.66±28.60 kU A /L, respectively, in FA with AD and FA without AD under 12 months of age. The remission rates of egg allergyat 36 months of age were 61.2% and 90.0% in children with FA with AD and FA without AD. Conclusion: Atopic dermatitismay play an important role in the natural history of food allergyin infants. Different strategies are needed for the management of food allergyin young children with atopic dermatitis. ( AllergyAsthma Respir Dis 2017;5:256-261)