Atopic march in children with early-onset atopic dermatitis: A retrospective study

Abstract

BackgroundAtopic march is a term that describes the progression of atopic disorders, from atopic dermatitis in young infants and toddlers to allergic rhinitis and asthma in later childhood. The aim of this study was to elucidate the course of allergic diseases between 3-7 years of age in patients with atopic dermatitis in the first 2 years of life. MethodsA total of 211 children have been analyzed in this retrospective study. The atopic dermatitis group consisted of 119 children diagnosed with atopic dermatitis between the ages of 0–2 in 2013 and the control group consisted of 92 children aged 0-3 months who had a hearing test for screening in the same year. The diagnoses of wheezing, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis in both groups below 2 years old and between 3-7 years old were examined from the hospital database and government e-health service. ResultsThe frequency of at least one wheezing attack (28.6% vs. 29.3%), at least three wheezing attacks (15.1% vs. 9.8%) and allergic rhinitis (22.7% vs. 22.8%) were not significantly different between atopic dermatitis and control groups in children between 3 and 7 years old. However, in the atopic dermatitis group, the frequency of at least one wheezing attack (42.6% vs. 19.4%, P=0.006), at least three wheezing attacks (25.6% vs. 8.3%, P=0.011), and allergic rhinitis (38.3% vs. 12.5%, P=0.001) were significantly higher in children with food sensitization than individuals without food sensitization. ConclusionThis study showed that the later allergic respiratory diseases in children with early-onset atopic dermatitis were associated with food sensitization regardless of early wheezing, and the persistence of atopic dermatitis was associated with multiple food sensitizations.