Allergy workup: when and how for the child with atopic dermatitis?

Abstract

An allergy workup is done in many children with atopic dermatitis but its pratical benefit on disease management remains largely unproven. This paper emphasizes the need of a global assessment of the young patient, including compliance to previous treatments and disease severity. Allergy testing should be considered as a second line option, integrated to global management. True food allergy is found in one third of patients with moderate/severe disease, and avoidance diets in such patients help reducing topical corticosteroids consumption. Apart a better delineation of the indication of the tests, there is a need to make allergy workups simplier, and a better standardization of tests is needed.