Eczema affects 20 percent of children, and children under age 5 are at the greatest risk of having symptoms that are worsened by food allergy, according to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. While eczema increases your risk of developing a food allergy, in rare cases eczema can also be worsened by a food allergy. In this case, eliminating the culprit food from the diet may result in an improvement in symptoms.
Background
Eczema is a skin disorder characterized by itchy, red and inflamed skin. People with eczema often have other allergic diseases such as hayfever, asthma and food allergy. Typically, symptoms begin before the age of 5 and can cause severe itching that can keep you up at night and in some cases may result in infection of the affected areas. First-line treatment for eczema includes moisturizing agents, anti-inflammatory ointment, medications to relieve itching and avoidance of any substances to which you are allergic.
Determining Foods To Be Eliminated
The first step in determining which foods should be eliminated is to determine which foods make your eczema worse. The most common allergenic foods include milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, tree nuts and fish. You will be asked to keep a food diary detailing foods consumed and the status of your eczema after the foods were eaten. Allergy testing can then be conducted for any foods that are possible culprits. Skin testing, where a small amount of the allergen is scratched into the surface of the skin and the resultant reaction is measured, is the most common form of testing.
Conducting Elimination Diet
If the skin test reveals that you have a sensitivity to certain foods, you will be asked to conduct a trial of eliminating the food from your diet. As long as you have never had an immediate reaction such as hives, shortness of breath, cough, vomiting or dizziness with consuming a food, you should remove each food one at a time. This will allow you to determine whether removal of a given food produces a change in your skin condition. If you notice an improvement with the removal of the food, you should avoid the food and any product that contains that food.
Breastfeeding and Elimination Diets
In some cases, the person with eczema may be a breastfeeding infant. The mother in this circumstance can conduct an elimination diet in which she removes the most common allergenic foods in infants, soy and milk. If the eczema is severe or associated with other concerning symptoms, a trial of elemental formula that does not contain soy or milk protein can be conducted to determine if there is an improvement in symptoms.
Considerations
While an elimination diet can be effective if food allergy is contributing to your eczema, it should always be conducted under the supervision of a physician. Severe restriction of your diet as a result of an elimination diet may require a nutritionist to ensure that you diet contains the appropriate balance of nutrients. Additionally, foods should be added back to the diet if no improvement is noted with removal.
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