Food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis: an algorithm for diagnosis and risk evaluation

Food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis: an algorithm for diagnosis and risk evaluation

The first paper has been published in Allergy; An algorithm: When and how to evaluate for immediate type food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis. Work the next year will be on a position paper. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common skin disorders. Food allergy and AD may occur in the same patient and in small children with AD, a strong association between food allergy and AD exist. As many infants with AD are sensitized and have an increased risk to develop immediate type allergic reactions compared to infants without AD it is important to evaluated and diagnose food allergy early in these children to prevent anaphylaxis at first feed. Also older children with atopic dermatitis has to be evaluated for a concomitant/complicating food allergy. As around 20% of children have AD and only 3.6% of children have food allergy an algorithm on whom (e.g. time of onset of AD, severity of AD, other atopic diseases, skin barrier function) and how to evaluation infants and children with atopic dermatitis could be useful for clinicians in different specialties.Objectives: 1. To review the literature on atopic dermatitis and food allergy including sensitization to food, and immediate type food allergy in infants and children with atopic dermatitis and to identify the most important food allergens and risk factors for food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis 2. To evaluate the timing between food allergy and atopic dermatitis and in how many infants the immediate reaction is at first feed with the allergenic food 3. To identify unmet needs and future work required in this field 4. To draw practice recommendations for healthcare professionals.

Chair: Charlotte Mortz
Secretary: Barbara Ballmer-Weber