Diagnosis and Treatment of Food Allergies

Diagnosis and Treatment of Food Allergies - by pixabay.com

Food allergy is experienced by one-third of children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Children with food allergies will be more often sick, so in children who recur more often do not go to school. Education in the patient's parents is important for the first treatment and prevents food allergy triggers.

This article is extracted from Dr. dr. Cita Rosita, SpKK entitled "The Role of Food Allergies in Atopic Dermatitis" in the book of Atopic Dermatitis: Current Diagnosis and Management.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Food Allergies

Approximately 90% of children with food allergies are caused by allergies to cow's milk, chicken eggs, beans, wheat, soybeans, nuts, and fish. Food allergies occur due to gastrointestinal dysfunction of the digestive system. Tight junction among some epithelial cells serves as a filter against the absorption of allergens in the intestinal lumen.

Diagnosis of Food Allergies

Diagnosis of food allergy in atopic dermatitis based on anamnesis, physical examination, investigation and elimination diet.

The point is important to grow onset of onset of atopic dermatitis symptoms after a patient has certain allergens. Rapid onset is often associated with IFA (IgE mediated Food Allergy). In IFA patients, more frequent urticaria is a potential anaphylactic reaction. Whereas in Non-IFA (NIFA), onset is usually slower. The dominant symptom is gastrointestinal symptoms.

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Anamnesis above, ideally need to be confirmed by skin prick test method (in vivo) or specific IgE (in vitro). In the patient can also be done an elimination diet. The principle of testing food elimination diets should be done according to the most common clinical and food allergy history in a particular population (eg cow's milk, chicken eggs, beans, wheat, soybeans, beans, and fish).

The oral food challenge can be done if necessary. However, keep in mind it should only be limited to the most suspected foods alone. And, it should be under the supervision of a physician to anticipate anaphylactic reactions that may arise.

Food Allergy Therapy

Proper skin care is an important component of a food allergy patient's treatment with atopic dermatitis. In addition, evaluation of precipitating factors also contributes significantly to improving patient quality of life.

Once the diagnosis of food allergy is enforced, the dietary elimination diet will also be therapeutic in improving clinical symptoms of atopic dermatitis. It is important to communicate to patients the benefits (improved quality of life and improvement of symptoms of atopic dermatitis) and loss (decreased quality of life due to avoidance of food triggers) elimination diet to be implemented.

When symptoms of acute atopic dermatitis occur, some of the pharmacologic treatment options that may be given are

Also read : Baby Frequently Eczema? Maybe Mother's Food Cause

Topical 2x a day

• In lesions on the scalp, topical corticosteroids are given, such as 0.05% Desonide cream or 0.025% Folklore one cream acrylic) for a maximum of 2 weeks.
• In cases with clinical manifestations of lichenification and hyperpigmentation, a group of Betamethasone valerate cream 0.1% or Mometasone furoate cream 0.1% can be administered.
• In cases of secondary infection, consideration should be given to topical or systemic antibiotics if the lesion is widespread.

Oral systemic

• Sedative antihistamines are: CTM 3x4 mg for a maximum of 2 weeks, or
• Loratadine 1x10 mg/day or other nonsedative antihistamines for up to 2 weeks

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