Early-onset-early-resolving atopic dermatitis does not increase the risk of development of allergic diseases at 3 Years old

Epidemiological findings showed the increased risk of allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma in the children with preceding atopic dermatitis (AD). In this study, we aimed to observe the development of allergic diseases in infantile AD patients.

We followed up the prospective observational cohort enrolling two-to four-month-old exclusively breastfed infants. The presence of physician-diagnosed asthma, AR and AD at age 3 was recorded with the laboratory tests for atopic sensitization.

Fifty infantile AD patients and 48 healthy controls were enrolled. The sex, age and parental atopy history were not significantly different between the two groups. At age 3, 21 (42%) patients had persistent AD in the infantile AD group while only 2 (4.2%) patients had newly diagnosed AD in the control group (p < 0.001). The early-onset-early-resolving AD (subsides before age 2) did not increase the risk of AR and asthma development, and the sensitization to allergens. However, the early-onset-persistent AD (persists after age 2) increased the risk of AR development and sensitization to inhalant allergens (adjusted odds ratio 2.83, 7.07, respectively). The parental atopy status was associated with any allergic disease at age 3 (p = 0.020). The maternal atopy history was the significant factor associated with AD, AR and eosinophilia at age 3 (p = 0.004, 0.014, 0.031, respectively).

The early-onset-early-resolving AD was not associated with allergic diseases development at age 3. The parental atopy history and early-onset-persistent AD might be the risk factors for development of allergic diseases at age 3.