Major study of food allergy in children with eczema launched

Parents of young children with eczema are being asked to consider taking part in a major new food allergy study run by researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Manchester, and Southampton.

Eczema, also known as atopic eczema/dermatitis, causes dry and itchy skin, which can become red and sore for no apparent reason. Many parents worry that food allergies may be the cause. For some children, disease flares can be caused by food allergy. However, it is not known whether food allergy tests can help identify which, if any, foods cause symptoms. Also, access to and use of food allergy tests on the NHS is variable.

TIGER (Trial of food allergy IgE tests for Eczema Relief) is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded randomised clinical trial recruiting 493 children with eczema, aged between three months and two years, from GP surgeries in and around West of England, Hampshire and Dorset, Oxfordshire and Greater Manchester.

Participants will be randomised to two groups: one receiving standard care and the other receiving dietary advice, based on the results of skin prick tests to cow’s milk, hen’s egg, wheat and soya. At the end of the study, it will be clearer whether the test-guided dietary advice improves disease control in children with eczema.

Professor Matthew Ridd, Chief Investigator, GP and Professor of Primary Health Care from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Primary Care, said:

“I am delighted to be leading this important NHS study. Eczema is common and children with eczema are at increased risk of immediate-type food allergy – a reaction which usually occurs within a few minutes. However, we don’t know whether routinely screening for food allergies is helpful for delayed allergy symptoms.

“Looking after a baby with eczema can be tough on the whole family, especially if they are awake at night scratching. There is a lot of uncertainty about the role of food allergy and food allergy tests, which this study will help address.”

Hannah Morgans, mother of children with eczema and food allergies, said:

“It’s a common concern among parents like me that, by using the various creams that the doctor gives you, you’re just treating the symptoms and not the cause of your child’s eczema. Often eczema develops around the same time that babies are weaned, and it can be difficult to decide whether the two things are linked or just coincidence. Most children don’t get access to food allergy tests to help parents decide and this study will find out whether doing so improves disease control.”

For more information about the study and how to take part, visit the Trial of food allergy (IgE) tests for Eczema Relief (TIGER) study