AD with food allergy accelerates allergic march

Osaka, Japan - Atopic dermatitis coupled with food allergy in early childhood speeds up allergic progression, according to findings from a recent study.

Investigators with Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine reviewed questionnaires that had been distributed to 3,321 first-year university students, asking about allergic diseases and personal and family histories of allergies, Healio.com reports.

The lifetime prevalence of atopic disease from birth to questionnaire reply for all participants was 47.6 percent, and was greater among men (49.52 percent) than women (43.88 percent).

The number of family histories of allergic disease and comorbidity demonstrated a positive correlation. The onset ages for bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis were lowered by atopic dermatitis comorbidity. The greatest risk factor for allergic march progression was comorbidity with food allergy, especially with atopic dermatitis (odds ratio=8.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 5.47-13.84), researchers found.

“Early childhood is thought to be a key period for the prevention of allergic march, and adolescence is another key period for the prevention of recurrence,” the study authors wrote. “The prevention of recurrence would decrease allergic disease in adulthood.”

The study was published in Allergology International.