Does a ‘reverse’ atopic march exist?

Abstract

The classical description of the atopic march usually refers to the progression from atopic dermatitis towards asthma, but this pathway has been questioned. We assessed in a prospective observation the possible onset of atopic dermatitis in children with asthma alone at baseline, and evaluated retrospectively their characteristics. Seven hundred and forty‐five children (360 male, 6–9 years of age) with asthma alone, without food allergy or atopic dermatitis, were followed‐up with regular visits for 9 years. 692 children completed the 9‐year observation, and 20% of them were found to have developed atopic dermatitis at 9 years. Comparing retrospectively the children who developed AD with the remaining, no significant difference existed at baseline concerning the demographic characteristics and family history. There was a significantly higher proportion ( χ² = 0.01) of subjects with single sensitization to mites and a significantly lower proportion of polysensitized subjects ( χ² = 0.01) within the children who developed AD. Sensitization to foods appeared in 9% of children who developed AD and in 3.8% in the other children (NS). According to these observations, the development of a particular allergic disease does not necessarily follow the classical paradigm of the atopic march.