Effect of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis on the prognosis of egg allergy resolution

BACKGROUND

Few studies have examined the effect of atopic dermatitis (AD) on the resolution of food allergies in Asia, and the predictors of egg allergy resolution are not yet well defined.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated whether AD severity could predict the resolution of egg allergy.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included infants under 24 months of age diagnosed with IgE-mediated egg white allergy. We included subjects who completed a 60-month follow-up. Open oral food challenges (OFCs) and serologic tests were performed at the time of initial diagnosis and at 36 ± 3 and 60 ± 3 months.

RESULTS

We analyzed 68 patients (39 boys and 29 girls). OFCs were performed in 88.2% of the patients. The egg allergy remission rates were 23.5% and 47.1% by 3 and by 5 years of age, respectively. Persistent egg allergy was significantly associated with moderate to severe AD and house dust mite sensitization. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed that patients with moderate to severe AD had higher persistent egg allergy rates than patients with no and mild AD (p = 0.012). Multivariable analysis identified moderate to severe AD as strongly associated with persistent egg allergy (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, 47.1% of infants had resolved egg white allergies at 60 months. Moderate to severe AD may be a practical and important prognostic factor for persistent egg allergy in clinical settings.