Key clinical point: Compared with conventional treatment, enhanced treatment with topical corticosteroids (TCS) significantly reduced the incidence of hen’s egg allergy among infants with atopic dermatitis (AD) but retarded their growth.
Major finding: Infants receiving enhanced vs conventional treatment had a significantly lower incidence of hen’s egg allergy (31.4% vs 41.9%; P = .0028), but demonstrated lower body weight (mean difference −422 g; 95% CI −553 to −292 g) and height (mean difference −0.8 cm; 95% CI −1.22 to −0.33 cm) at 28 weeks of age.
Study details: This randomized controlled trial included 640 infants aged 7-13 weeks with AD who were randomly assigned to receive enhanced therapy (alclometasone dipropionate for the whole face and betamethasone valerate for whole body except face and scalp) followed by maintenance therapy (n = 318) or conventional therapy (alclometasone dipropionate and betamethasone valerate for the affected skin; n = 322).
Disclosures: This study was supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). Some authors reported ties with various organizations, including AMED.
Source: Yamamoto-Hanada K et al on behalf of PACI Study Collaborators. Enhanced early skin treatment for atopic dermatitis in infants reduces food allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2023 (Mar 22). Doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.03.008