High sensitization rate to food allergens in breastfed infants with atopic dermatitis.
BACKGROUND
The differences in the characteristics of breastfed and formula fed individuals with allergy have been addressed in few studies and remain controversial.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of breastfed on the development of food allergy and sensitization against food allergens in infants with atopic dermatitis (AD).


METHODS
We reviewed 143 infants (77 boys and 66 girls) with AD who were younger than 6 months and were classified into the following 3 groups based on the type of feeding they received: breastfed, mixed feeding, and formula fed. All infants had never been fed egg or soy. The total and specific IgE levels were then assessed using a commercially available assay.


RESULTS
The total IgE level (P = .004) and egg specific IgE level (P = .002) were significantly higher in the BF group than in the FF group. The rate of sensitization to egg (P = .001) was also significantly higher in the BF group when compared with the FF group, as was the egg allergy rate (P = .004).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that breastfeeding might not always be beneficial in allergy prevention in some high-risk infants.
Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Youngshin
Y
Han
Sang-Jin
SJ
Chung
Jihyun
J
Kim
Kangmo
K
Ahn
Sang-Il
SI
Lee
D001942:Breast Feeding; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D007073:Immunoglobulin E