The Journal of pediatrics
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The Journal of pediatrics · Jul 1989
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialNatural history of food hypersensitivity in children with atopic dermatitis.
Patients with atopic dermatitis and food hypersensitivity who were adhering to an elimination diet underwent repeat double-blind, placebo-controlled oral food challenges annually for follow-up of their food allergy. After 1 year, 19 of 75 patients lost all signs of clinical food hypersensitivity (15 of 45 patients allergic to one food, and 4 of 21 allergic to two foods). Of the individual foods, 38 of 121 no longer elicited symptomatic responses. ⋯ Total serum IgE and prick skin tests were not useful for predicting loss of symptomatic food hypersensitivity. There was no significant decrease in skin test wheal size corresponding to loss of clinical food hypersensitivity. Patients developing only skin symptoms during the initial challenge were most likely to lose symptomatic food hypersensitivity.