ABSTRACT
SUMMARY The role of food allergy in atopic dermatitis is controversial. This study presents results of skin prick tests to 31 different food allergens in a selected population of predominantly breast-fed young infants who had moderate to severe generalized atopic dermatitis. Of the 59 infants (22 female, mean age 26.5 weeks) tested, 54 infants (91.5%) had positive responses to one or more foods, 53 infants (90%) were positive to one or more of the five common food allergens (egg white, cow's milk, peanuts, wheat or soy) and 80% were positive to egg white, which was by far the most common positive test. A total of 37 infants had strongly positive responses to one or more foods, with 33 of these 37 having strongly positive responses to egg white. The significance of these responses is discussed. It is concluded that positive skin prick tests to foods, particularly to egg white, are very common in this selected population of breast-fed infants with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.
Subject(s)
Dermatitis, Atopic/diagnosis , Food Hypersensitivity/diagnosis , Age Factors , Allergens , Breast Feeding , Cohort Studies , Dermatitis, Atopic/immunology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Food Hypersensitivity/epidemiology , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Milk Hypersensitivity/diagnosis , Milk Hypersensitivity/immunology , Prevalence , Risk Assessment , Sensitivity and Specificity , Severity of Illness Index , Skin TestsABSTRACT
We describe a newborn girl with incontinentia pigmenti (IP, MIM308300), unilateral acheiria, and fatal primary pulmonary hypertension. Limb deficiency has not been described previously in IP and pulmonary hypertension only on two previous occasions. A review of the cause of IP shows that these rare manifestations may not be unexpected, given the many roles of the underlying gene product.
Subject(s)
Abnormalities, Multiple/pathology , Hand Deformities, Congenital/pathology , Hypertension, Pulmonary/pathology , Incontinentia Pigmenti/pathology , Abnormalities, Multiple/genetics , Fatal Outcome , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , KaryotypingABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of combination therapy for molluscum contagiosum (MC) with topical cantharidin and imiquimod 5%. A prospective case series of 16 paediatric patients with a mean age of 4.8 years had cantharidin applied to lesions by a dermatologist, followed by home treatment with imiquimod 5% cream nightly for an average of 5 weeks. This regimen resulted in >90% of lesions clearing in 12 patients, with half of these being totally clear. Two patients had 80-90% of lesions resolve. Two patients had 30-50% clearance of lesions at the end of the treatment period. One patient found the cantharidin reaction too strong. The mean number of imiquimod 250 mg sachets used was 4.25. In conclusion, this study suggests that combination therapy using cantharidin and imiquimod for treatment of MC in children is effective and well tolerated.
