Comparison of Maternal Food Intakes during Pregnancy in Children with and without Atopic Dermatitis

ABSTRACT

The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD), chronic cutaneous disease, has increased rapidly worldwide. Since AD is the most common disease affecting infants, maternal food intake during pregnancy as well as lactation is important. The purpose of this research was to examine the difference in maternal food intake during pregnancy between mothers having children with or without AD. One hundred forty-eight mothers with children aged under 2 years with AD (AD group, n=74) or without AD (non-AD group, n=74) were included in the study. Diet during pregnancy was examined using a food frequency questionnaire. There were no differences in the status of mothers' food consumption during pregnancy between the AD and non-AD groups. Mothers in the AD group consumed significantly less white fish (P<0.05), carrot & pumpkin (P<0.01), walnut & pine nut (P<0.05), mandarin & orange (P<0.05), and peach (P<0.05) than those in the non-AD group. As food frequencies were categorized according to <1/month, 1~3/month, 1~6/week, and 1~3/day, lower consumption of carrot & pumpkin (Odds Ratio (OR)=6.67, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=1.98~22.44), tomato (OR=5.11, 95% CI=1.62~16.08), mandarin & orange (OR=8.64, 95% CI=1.59~46.81), and walnut & pine nut (OR=3.85, 95% CI=1.26~11.77) increased the risk of childhood AD. According to the results, maternal food intakes during pregnancy were significantly different between the AD and non-AD groups. Therefore, further studies are necessary to examine the causal relationship between maternal food intake and prevalence of AD in children.