Atopy in children with eczema.

ABSTRACT

Objective. To explore the prevalence of common food and aeroallergens sensitization in early childhood skin diseases and to compare the pattern of common food and aeroallergens sensitization before and after 6 months among infants with atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods. All skin prick tests (SPTs) performed on children =< 18 months of age managed at the pediatric dermatology clinic of an university-affiliated teaching hospital over a 16-month period were examined. Results. There was generally no difference in the pattern of sensitization to common food and aeroallergens between AD patients and non-AD young children with miscellaneous dermatological or gastrointestinal conditions. Dust mites were the only common aeroallergens in these patients; whereas egg and peanuts were the common sensitizing food allergens. Cat and dog fur as aeroallergens, soy bean, orange and beef as food allergens were relatively uncommon among the studied subjects. In AD, infants =< 6 months were generally naive to aeroallergens but became sensitized to the D. Pteronyssinus in the next 12 months of age. 80% of these infants were not sensitized to cow’s milk and none sensitized to soybean. Conclusions. Atopic sensitization to common allergens was common in early childhood with or without AD. Majority of young infants were not sensitized to milk, and develop eczema before they show atopy to the milk or soy allergens.