Prevalence of food allergens in patients with atopic dermatitis referring to the asthma and allergy clinic in Tehran in 2014

Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic inflammatory disease the skin. Food allergy is one of the main factors affecting the onset and severity of the disease. Recognition of the pattern of sensitivity to food allergens in the community can play an important role in the public awareness and prevention of recurrence of atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to recognize the prevalence of common food allergens in the patients with atopic dermatitis by means of skin prick test in Tehran during 2014.
Material and In this cross sectional study, we examined all the patients for the signs and symptoms of allergies in the Asthma and Allergy Clinic during 2014. Skin prick test was performed for common food allergens in the patients with atopic dermatitis . SPSS version 20, was used for data analysis.
Out of 1012 patients with allergy, 282 cases (approximately 28%) were diagnosed as atopic dermatitis. 87(52 female and 35 male) patients with atopic dermatitis, were sensitive to at least one food allergen (positive prick test). In patients with atopic dermatitis the prevalence rates of asthma, allergic rhinitis and urticaria were 6.8, 11.4 and 4.5 %, respectively. There was no relationship between gender and food allergy in the patients with atopic dermatitis. The most prevalent food allergens were egg yolk (38.4%), egg white (36.5%), hazelnut (33.3%), and peanut (28.7%), and the least prevalent allergens were found in rice (4.6%), barley (5.7%), and meat (6.9%).
The prevalence rate of atopic dermatitis in allergic patients in this study was more than expected. Sensitivity to egg and nuts as the most common allergens should be taken into consideration by families and allergy specialists.