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Early treatment of infantile atopic dermatitis reduces food allergy incidence

Early, aggressive treatment of patients with infantile atopic dermatitis significantly reduced food allergy incidence by 18 months of age, according to research presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting in Houston.

Researchers conducted a retrospective chart survey of 26 infants younger than 1 year of age who had been admitted to the National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, for severe atopic dermatitis between April 2011 and March 2013. Proactive topical steroid treatment was applied to all patients, who achieved sustained skin rash clearance after treatment.

The patients were divided into two intervention groups: those admitted before the age of 5 months (early intervention) and those ages 5 months or older upon admission (late intervention). Incidence of food allergy in each group at 18 months of age was the study’s primary outcome.

Eczema severity on admission, age of eczema onset and parental atopic disposition displayed no differences between the two cohorts, according to the researchers. There was a 50% incidence of food allergy, defined as a positive result of food provocation test, a history of immediate reaction due to any specific food intake or any specific IgE (immune CAP) level higher than 50 UA/ml, observed in the early intervention cohort and a 100% incidence of food allergy in the late intervention patients (P< .01). — by Bruce Thiel

Reference:

Yomase M, et al. Paper #860. Presented at: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting; Feb. 20-24, 2015; Houston.

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