The Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis in Children with Food Allergy

Food allergy (FA) impacts approximately 8% of children in the U.S.1 The strongest and most established risk factor for the development of FA is atopic dermatitis (AD), a pruritic inflammatory skin disease that is most common in children.2 The HealthNuts cohort study found that one in five Australian infants with AD were allergic to peanut, egg white, or sesame compared to 1 in 25 infants without AD,2 indicating a strong link between AD and FA. A leading theory for how AD predisposes to the development of FA is referred to as the Dual Allergen Exposure Hypothesis, which proposes that allergic sensitization to food can occur through cutaneous exposure and the altered skin barrier in AD results in increased permeability to food allergens.
Source: Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Letters Source Type: research