TOPLINE

The distribution of eczema across an infant's body at 9 months of age may signal meaningful differences in the risks for food allergy (FA) and food sensitization by 18 months of age. Among the eczema locations, those involving allergen-exposed sites, such as the head, neck, and hands, combined with body involvement carried the greatest odds of FA and food sensitization relative to no eczema. 

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a prospective population-based cohort study using data from a birth cohort in Västerbotten County, Sweden, to investigate whether the location of eczema in infancy was associated with FA and food sensitization in early childhood.
• The study included 4456 children born between 2016 and 2024. For these children, parents reported the location of eczema at 9 months of age, and physician diagnosis of FA at 18 months of age.
• Eczema location was categorized as body only, head/neck/hands only, or combined body and head/neck/hands based on parental reports of 14 body locations.
• Immunoglobulin E sensitization to common food allergens (cow's milk, egg white, wheat, cod, peanuts, and soybean) was measured in a subset of 3280 children at 18 months of age.

TAKEAWAY

• Overall, 5.2% of children had a physician-diagnosed FA at 18 months of age, with cow's milk and egg allergens being the most frequent.
• Infants with eczema on the head, neck, or hands were 2.3 times more likely to develop FA than those without eczema, whereas those with eczema involving both the head, neck, or hands and the body were 4.33 times more likely to develop FA. 
• The odds of developing food sensitization was 2.33 times higher in infants with eczema involving the head, neck, or hands than infants without eczema, with a similar likelihood observed for combined involvement of the head, neck, or hands and the body.
• Among children with eczema at 9 months of age, those with combined head, neck, or hand and body involvement were 3.81 times more likely to develop FA and 2.03 times more likely to develop food sensitization than those with eczema involving the body only, even after accounting for eczema severity.

IN PRACTICE

"In healthcare systems with universal child health services, assessment of eczema distribution during routine child health visits may support early risk stratification and implementation of current FA prevention strategies," the authors wrote.

SOURCE

Stina Bodén, PhD, with Umeå University in Umeå, Sweden, was the corresponding author of this study, which was published online on September 17, 2026, in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

LIMITATIONS

The parents reported the location of eczema, possibly introducing misclassification. Because FA was assessed only at the 18-month timepoint, FA that had resolved before 18 months or developed after 18 months may have gone undetected. The cohort was drawn solely from northern Sweden and included mothers with high educational attainment, possibly limiting the generalizability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES

This study was supported by multiple Swedish research foundations and county councils; reagents for immunoglobulin E testing were provided by an industry partner. One author reported receiving research funding paid to the institution and speaker honoraria from companies in the diagnostics and nutrition sectors outside the submitted work. Another author reported receiving consultation honoraria or speaker fees and research support from companies in the food science sector. 

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.