Atopy in children with eczema.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the prevalence of common food and aeroallergens sensitization in early childhood skin diseases. and to compare the pattern of common food and aeroallergens sensitization before and after 6 months among infants with atopic dermatitis (AD).


METHODS
All skin prick tests (SPTs) performed on children pound18 months of age managed at the pediatric dermatology clinic of an university-affiliated teaching hospital over a 16-month period were examined.


RESULTS
There was generally no difference in the pattern of sensitization to common food and aeroallergens between AD patients and non-AD young children with miscellaneous dermatological or gastrointestinal conditions. Dust mites were the only common aeroallergens in these patients; whereas egg and peanuts were the common sensitizing food allergens. Cat and dog fur as aeroallergens, soy bean, orange and beef as food allergens were relatively uncommon among the studied subjects. In AD, infants pound 6 months were generally naive to aeroallergens but became sensitized to the D. Pteronyssinus in the next 12 months of age. 80% of these infants were not sensitized to cow's milk and none sensitized to soybean.


CONCLUSIONS
Atopic sensitization to common allergens was common in early childhood with or without AD. Majority of young infants were not sensitized to milk, and develop eczema before they show atopy to the milk or soy allergens.
Hon
Kam-Lun Ellis
KL
Department of Pediatrics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. ehon@cuhk.edu.hk
Tsang
Susanna
S
Wong
Ching-Yi
CY
Tse
Pui-Man
PM
Wong
Charles
C
To
Wing-Hei Zion
WH
Chow
Chung-Mo
CM
Ko
Wai-San Fanny
WS
Leung
Ting-Fan
TF
D000818:Animals; D010367:Arachis / Q000276:immunology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004485:Eczema / Q000276:immunology*; D021181:Egg Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology*; D012882:Skin Tests