Oral sodium cromoglycate in the management of atopic dermatitis in children

Atopic dermatitis (AD), a common, multifactorial, and extremely complex disorder, should be examined from various points of view, and it requires all the skill a physician can gather because it can be a challenge for pediatricians, dermatologists, and allergists. The role of dietary factors in AD has long been a subject of controversies, and several investigators have demonstrated the effectiveness of elimination diets in the management of AD. The treatment of choice for AD due to food sensitivity (FS) is the elimination of the offending food(s). This can be easily achieved when the child is allergic to foods that are not common items in the diet or when the offending food is not an important nutrient. Problems arise when the child is allergic to food(s) common in the diet and/or that have a high nutritional value, SCG, the salt of a bischromone carboxylic acid, has been shown to be of some efficacy in the prophylaxis of bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, and other disorders associated with mast cell degranulation, such as mastocytosis. We reviewed 12 papers on the use of SCG in the management of AD children, which included 281 children aged 0.5 to 15 years. Analysis of the studies shows that five were carried out in the open, one in the single-blind, six in the double-blind fashion. Four out of five open trials yielded positive results, that is, SCG was effective in the management of AD. The double-blind studies were positive in three cases and negative in three. The only trial with doubtful results was conducted in the open fashion.