The Prevalence of Food Allergy in Children with Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

The relevance of food allergy (FA) in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) is still a debated matter. The practical benefit of a specialized work-up for the detection of FA is not yet established because: (1) many if not all patients in the pediatric age group greatly benefit, at very low risk, from a simple topical regimen made up of steroid ointments for eczema and water binders for dry skin [1]; thus “non-believers” in FA are numerous among dermatologists; (2) spontaneous improvement in the younger group makes any evaluation of efficacy of a diet regimen very difficult, not to mention the difficulty in obtaining reproducible scoring methods in this disease; (3) there are no simple, reliable, and standardized screening tests or diagnostic procedures for FA; (4) the relationships between type 1 hypersensitivity caused by foods and skin lesions are not clear.