Eczema
Research
Diet & Lifestyle
Eczema
triggered by Birch
pollen
Birch pollen may be
responsible for a multitude of skin problems according to research
from the Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Hannover Medical
University, Hannover, Germany.
Many skin sufferers have an allergy to Birch pollen and this
frequently
triggers immediate
symptoms when sufferers are exposed to cross-reactive fruits,
vegetables, or both.
The researchers
investigated whether isolated late eczematous reactions to birch
pollen-related food antigens could be observed in eczema patients
who are highly sensitized to birch pollen antigens.
Thirty seven adult
eczema patients with a hypersensitivity to birch pollen but without
any history of immediate responses to foods took part in the study.
These patients underwent an elimination diet, including all birch
pollen-related food antigens, followed by a placebo-controlled
trial.
When presented with
birch pollen-related foods, seventeen patients (46%) reacted with an
immediate deterioration of eczema symptoms. Food or birch
pollen-specific IgE did not differentiate these patients from
non-reactive patients.
These results show,
for the first time, that patients with hypersensitivity to birch
pollen and eczema react with worsening of eczema after taking birch
pollen-related foods and that a birch pollen-specific T-cell
response can be found in the lesional skin of these patients.
Source:J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999
Aug;104(2 Pt 1):466-72
©
Internet Health Library 2000
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