Comorbid food allergy in patients with congenital epidermolysis bullosa

Introduction. Inherited epidermolysis bullosa belongs to the group of severe rare hereditary mechanobullous diseases. Often, the skin pathological process is difficult to treat, which leads to a decrease in the quality of life of such patients. The mechanism of development of transcutaneous sensitization in this category of patients is not excluded. This issue remains a very relevant area for study, given the characteristic nutritional deficiency and the difficulties that arise in the formation of the diet.

The aim: to assess the frequency of occurrence and characteristics of food sensitization in children with epidermolysis bullosa.

Materials and methods: the group included 164 children with epidermolysis bullosa (45 with rapid detection and 119 with dystrophic). For all patients, an assessment of the risk of an allergic history, determination of the total level of IgE and specific IgE of blood serum to the most significant food allergens (UniCAP system, Thermo Fisher Scientific). Results: food sensitization was detected in 34.1 % of children with epidermolysis bullosa (in 38.7 % of cases with dystrophic and in 24.4 % with a simple form of epidermolysis bullosa). Among the manifestations of food allergy in both groups, skin symptoms were more common. The most common etiological factors were products containing cow’s milk protein, eggs, and cereals. In the group of children with comorbid food allergies and epidermolysis bullosa, high and extremely high levels of total IgE were most common.

Conclusion: a high frequency of food sensitization in patients with epidermolysis bullosa, was shown, which is important not only from a scientific, but also from a practical point of view. Given the nutritional deficiency characteristic of this disease, the complexity of nutritional support, the presence of comorbid food allergies should be taken into account when recommending nutrition and selecting therapeutic products for this category of patients.

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