Risk Factors of Moderate to Severe Atopic Drmatitis in the First 6 Months of Life

Ahn, So Hyun; Seo, Won Hee; Kim, Su Jung; Hwang, Su Jung; Park, Hwa Young; Han, Young Shin; Chung, Sang Jin; Lee, Hee Chul; Ahn, Kang Mo; Lee, Sang Il

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to analyze the risk factors of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in the first 6 months of life. METHODS: Children aged less than 6 months with AD were divided into two groups according to Six Area, Six Sign Atopic Dermatitis (SASSAD) Score. Children with scores of less than 14 were classified as Mild AD (n=90) and above 15 as Moderate to Severe (Mod-severe) AD (n=44). These patients were fed with breast milk or cow's milk formula, and no allergenic food was given except rice and some vegetables. We analyzed the gender, feeding patterns, family history of allergy, number of siblings, total IgE and specific IgE to common food allergens (egg white, cow's milk, soy, wheat) by CAP assay (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden). RESULTS: Total IgE was 180.6+/-44.7 U/mL in mod-severe AD and 32.2+/-6.1 U/mL in mild AD (P=0.002). Specific IgE to egg white, soy and wheat (19.03+/-4.48 U/mL; 7.07+/-0.40 U/mL, 4.68+/-1.89 U/mL in mod-severe AD; 1.78+/-0.43 U/mL, 0.09+/-0.03 U/mL, 0.15+/-0.11 U/mL in mild AD; P< 0.05) were associated with mod-severe AD, but cow's milk (4.34+/-2.50 U/mL in mod-severe AD; 0.80+/-0.44 U/mL in mild AD) showed no statistical difference. Gender, feeding patterns, family history and number of siblings were not significantly associated with mod-severe AD. The total IgE level and egg white specific IgE level significantly increased as the duration of breast feeding increased (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Mod-severe atopic dermatitis in the first 6 months of life is associated with sensitization to food allergens, which might be transferred via breast milk.