Objective:To examine the prevalence and status of food hypersensitivity among AD patients in Korea.
Methods:The history of food hypersensitivity was collected by interviews. We took blood samples to examine food-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. Based on patients’ histories and serum IgE levels, open oral food challenge (OFC) testing were performed.
Results:49 (37.7%) of the 130 childhood AD patients and 33 (25.4%) of 130 adult AD patients had histories of food hypersensitivity. The most common suspicious foods in childhood AD were egg, pork and cow milk. In adult AD patients, the most common suspicious foods were instant food, wheat, ramen, beef, pork, chocolate. According to open OFC testing, nine childhood patients showed positive responses. The most common offending food were egg and milk (n=3 each), followed by pork, beef, peanut (n=1 each). In adult AD patients, only one patient showed positive response to pork.
Conclusion: The overall prevalence of food hypersensitivity in childhood AD patients was 6.9%, and 0.8% in adult AD patients as assessed by open OFC testing. The number of patients with actual food hypersensitivity was lower than the number of patients reporting a history of food hypersensitivity. Therefore, dietary restriction must be conducted after confirming food hypersensitivity by medical professionals.