Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a long-lasting (chronic) health condition that affects the skin. It causes redness, itching and sometimes infections. People with eczema often have other allergic conditions, including food allergy, but food allergy does not cause eczema.
When eczema gets worse, it is called an eczema flare. Common triggers of eczema flares include dry climate, overheating, exposure to irritants (such as sand or dirt), scratching, allergens (such as dust mite) and bacterial skin infections.
You can manage eczema by maintaining, protecting and treating skin. Treatments may include:
Around 30% of babies in these groups develop food allergy compared to only 10% in the general population. There is some evidence that managing eczema well during infancy may reduce the chance of a baby developing food allergy.
Most food allergy causes symptoms (including hives, vomiting and irritability) within 30 minutes of eating. Food allergy only occasionally results in delayed eczema flare ups.
In New Zealand, a specialist doctor or nurse with training in allergy should recommend and interpret any food allergy tests that your child has.
Before considering a 'food exclusion diet', follow the steps in 'Managing eczema well' above.
Confirming that food allergy is causing delayed eczema only needs short-term food exclusion. A health professional (doctor or nurse) with allergy training should always supervise food exclusion diets. If the specialist recommends continuing food exclusion longer term, children should also see a paediatric dietitian with specialised knowledge of food allergies.
Also, if your child has been regularly eating a food without signs of allergy, taking that food out of their diet can result in them developing a new allergy to that food.
Adapted for New Zealand from ASCIA fast facts - eczema and food allergy [2].
This content has been developed and approved by the Clinical Reference Group for the Paediatric Society NZ's Child and Youth Eczema Clinical Network, Te Rōpū Kiripai Hapori.
This page last reviewed 07 December 2023.
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[1] https://kidshealth.org.nz/tags/eczema
[2] https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/fast-facts/eczema-and-food-allergy
[3] https://kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fkidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F2515%3Flanguage%3Dmi