Eczema - allergy testing

[conkertree]

I know there are lots of eczema threads already, and I have read some of them with interest, but thought I'd start a new one rather than ask a question in the middle of somebody elses.

Ds1 has had eczema since he was about 8 weeks old, but its been worse this summer than ever (he turned 3 a couple of weeks ago). It's been a sustained period of flared up eczema since the end of April, and he has been seeing a dermatologist since May.

Additionally, since July, he has had an allergic reaction to some kind of food, in that his lips have swollen up 4 times - no noticeable link to one particular food - eating quite different things each time.

We asked his GP about testing for food allergies, but he said we'd need to narrow it down first as they can only really test for about 5 types of food with each blood test.

For his skin he started on the steroid ladder, but once he got to Betnovate C, and it didn't fully clear it up, they started him on Protopic which is an immunosuppresor cream. He had it twice a day for about 3 weeks, and now has it twice a week.

He had steroids again last weekend which cleared it up a lot and was back to his old self for the grand total of about 2 days - we thought he was on a sugar high after his cousin's party, but it continued into the next day, and was so fantastic to see him back to his old funny self after a summer of being totally miserable.

Anyway, the little bubbles appeared on his hands and feet again this week, and he's now getting 2 days of dermovate (I think it's called) - stronger that Betnovate C.

Basically I would like any advice from those of you who have been through the allergy testing to know where you go to get it done if the GP can only do it once he's had another reaction or two? I know there are places on the internet you can send off hair etc to, but I'd be grateful for any specific advice that any of you have about where to go?

Sorry for long post but thought it was worth explaining the background.

Thanks.

You need to be pushy with the GP. Some GPs are more of the "Dermatologist" kind and can be quite dismissive of food being related to skin issues but it seems in this case the skin issues have been on going for ages. Push for a referral to a plead allergy specialist. There is the option of going private but if this is not and option for you insist on a referral down the NHS route.

I spoke with a dermatologist about my son?s eczema (I was actually seeing her for an issue I have) and she really did not think my sons eczema was to do with food but once we started controlling his diet his skin improved so IMO it clearly is food related.

In addition, keep a food diary to go to your GP with. If you could do this over a month of so you may be able to identify if there is a pattern to certain foods intensifying the flare up - plus it will show how serious you are in getting a referral to an allergy specialist.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

the GP should refer you to the allergy clinic

or you can ask the derm if they can refer you

Thanks - he got a referral to a dietician through a paediatrician that he saw once after a referral from the dermatologist, but we got the appointment in this week, and it's for March.

I could ask about the allergy clinic though from the GP - I will try keeping the food diary first, and then take it with me the next time - as you say it will show we are serious about finding out what it is.

Thanks

HI, PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THIS WEBSITE...ITS A NEW TREATMENT THEY HAVE BEEN TESTING. YOU'LL PROBABLY BE SHOCKED FIRST OF ALL BUT READ ALL OF IT. MY SON HAS ECZEMA AND IM GOING TO ASK MY DOCTOR ABOUT THIS TREATMENT.

www.allmothers.net/household-bleach-potent-treatment-for-niggling-eczema.html

slightly o/t but just noticed that NICE has opened a draft consultation for food allergy in children which includes the following:
"...Food allergies in children can result in a number of symptoms, therefore the draft guideline recommends that the condition should be considered if the child has one or a combination of the following, including:

skin conditions such as eczema or acute urticaria (itchy rash)
respiratory complaints such as sneezing or shortness of breath
gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, difficulty swallowing or constipation
anaphylaxis (severe, hyper-sensitive reaction) and other allergic reactions.

Food allergies should also be considered in children who are not adequately responding to treatment for atopic (allergic) eczema, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (where stomach contents leak out of the stomach and into the oesophagus), and chronic constipation
..."

obviously still just at draft stage but it would be progress to have a recommendation to consider food allergy as a factor in difficult childhood eczema included in official NHS guidance.

NICE is taking comments about the draft guideline but only though stakeholder organisations not individuals. I guess that means that if people want to submit comments, they should do so via organisations such as Anaphylaxis Campaign, Allergy UK, The Eczema Society. Deadline for comments is 5pm 6 September 2010

Debbie, that sounds extreme. Although reading the article all the way through suggests not the treatment for most types of eczema. Myself and my daughter both have eczema and since our eczema rarely gets infected, this would suggest we do not have MRSA. Although I have been skin tested and know what environmental aspects cause mine. but as you said, definitly not something to try without speaking to your doctor first....

Claire - that does sound interesting cause medical people keep telling us that food doesn't affect it, but we've taken his diet back to very simple basic foods, and it seems to have helped a bit over the last few weeks (apart from the bubbles in the feet and hands). I will have a wee look at that further.

Debbie - it does sound a little extreme but as dh said when we were reading it, ds1's skin has got worse since April, and the only thing that changed then was that he stopped his swimming lessons, so maybe a dose of chlorine every week was keeping infections down. I might mention that to the dermatologist.

Hi Conkertree, my ds (4) has food/environmental allergies and has had eczema since he was six weeks old. In our case identifying his allergies at six months old (when weaning) didn't clear up his eczema unfortunately but I know lots of other people that have had the opposite experience.

Please only go through the allergy testing process through your GP (or privately to a consultant via your GP). There are loads of quacks out there ready to take your money who are positively dangerous. They should offer RAST (blood)or skin prick tests. They do need something to go on however so Okie is right, keep a food diary.

We've been down the steriod route and also protopic for a short time and nothing has worked. However miraculously DS seems to be growing out of it, first his face cleared up and then his arms and now his legs are pretty good. Up until about 3 months ago he was never ever without widespread eczema even for a very short time so it's pretty amazing for us. I never thought it would happen especially in summer which usually has always been his worst time. The emollient we use is called Ungentum M and seems to suit him the best but everyone is different with these things.

Good luck!

Bilbomum - great to hear that your wee one is growing out of it - must be such an amazing thing to see him getting better.

Did you notice a difference with your ds's mood when his eczema was particularly bad? I think the thing that has struck us most has been just how miserable ds1 has been this summer, and the difference in him for the 2 days when his skin was fairly clear. You go on day to day, just getting on with it, but when you see what they could be like, its a bit sad to think that they are not normally like that.

Have certainly heard others say that other than the 7 year skin cycle, age 4 is also a time that things can sometimes clear up, so fingers crossed. Do you know whether your ds still has the same allergies or whether he has grown out of them too?

Sorry Conkertree, I've been away for a while. Yes we definitely noticed the moods with ds. It was a vicious cycle for us, he'd have a bad night which meant I also had a bad night and we were at each other's throats all day, mainly due to tiredness. When he wasn't sleeping he'd scratch more which made his eczema worse so it just went round and round in circles. It reached it's worst point on his third birthday but it's got very steadily better since and now there is a noticeable improvement in everything, moods, skin, sleep - I think they all go hand in hand.

As for the allergies,I don't think there's much chance of him growing out of them as they're pretty severe but for us allergies are easier to manage than the eczema believe it or not!