My five month old baby boy has had pretty bad eczema on his cheeks, chest and ankles since 2 months old. I had tried Aquaphor, and nothing. Then I tried Cortizone oinment, and got some improvement, but the rash always comes back if I stop or decrease Cortizone oinment. I am breastfeeding. About a month ago, I asked his pediatrician for allergy testing, and they did RAST boold test. It showed that he has high allergy to peanuts, moderate to high allergy to egg whites, moderate allergy to casein (milk), slow to moderate allergy to wheat, corn, soy and egg yolk - no allergy. Pediatrician suggested for me to elliminate milk, egg and peanuts one at a time from my diet. I actually elliminated all three for 3 weeks now, but not seing much improvement with his rash. I haven't tried wheat yet (too hard for me :), but probably will have to soon.
My questions are - given his RAST results, do I need to take him to pediatric allergist? How would I go about intoducing these foods in the future? Could his rash be not allergy related? Should I try dermatologist? Thanks!
I would go to a teaching hospital with pediatric GI, dermatologist and allergists that work together. Look for allergy education for the RAST result and possible auto immune such as celiac and diabetes.good luck
That is really unfortunate. I am sure it is also uncomforable for him. I am not a doctor, so I would say you should always seek out professional advise for this sort of thing.
I have a very close friend, who did not realize her son had/has severe allergies to dairy, eggs, wheat, fish, peanuts, tree nuts, pollen, cats and an array of fruit. He pretty much sticks to chicken and rice. She has learned to make him cakes, soups, and other foods using for limited ingredients.
Her first pediatrician brushed her off, as did the second. She found a specialist--who actually created a cream for his severe eczema that works AMAZING! Now the child (who is almost 5yrs old) is tested often.
To be safe, with her second child, she cut out ALL foods her first is allergic to when she nursed. They think this will dramatically decrease the chances the second will develop these allergies. So my advice, cut it all out---no matter how hard, it's easier than later not letting your child go to birthday parties or even preschool (as she has to do) because you are scared they willl eat something they will have a reaction to.
I hope your baby is just a bit sensitive and is fine soon.
In addition to other advice: Make sure you are using a "Free" laundry detergent -- without fragrance or dyes. Also I would try to eliminate the wheat. You will know soon enough if it is the culprit. It's hard, but with increased awareness of gluten-free diets, there are many delicious, nutritious products on the market, including Glutino cookies, crackers, pretzels, etc. Amy's makes a frozen gluten free, dairy free rice pasta that is surprisingly delicious. I have not eliminated wheat, but try to eat less, because I have a corn starch sensitivity and it's in almost everything that wheat is in. (except pasta) You can eat rice, yams, gluten free oats (all of which are typically healthier and more nutrient dense than week) and all kinds of stuff. There's pasta made from rice, beans, you name it. If you decide to eliminate the wheat for a week place another post about that asking for recommendation of easy, tasty food. Many gluten free websites with good info on this too.
My son has eczema and all the Aveno baby items we use for him from body wash to lotion. He has cleared up great and one breaks out when he is up against something that has not been washed in his detergent.
My daughter -3y- has ezcema. The thing that works for us is Aveeno Baby Calming lotion. Also, the rash could be invironmental. My kids were getting red patches. Turns out we had high levels of cholorine in our water. We got a house water softner and the patches are gone. When we travel and they shower in the hard water, they come back. Also check your detergent. Try using a detergent with no dyes/scents. Same with the dryer sheet.
It wouldn't hurt to touch base with a pediatric allergist, but there are few tests they can do at a young age.
M.
Definitely go see an allergist! Our allergist was able to give us a lot of info that our pediatrician couldn't.
Like another poster said the RAST blood test is not always reliable especially under the age of 2 and can give false positives. It might not be an allergy at all and maybe the dermatologist is the way to go. My niece who I raised for the first 2yrs of her life had eczema but it was not due to an allergy. I think we used Eucerin and she eventually grew out of it. I myself have severe food allergies but I don't find the tests for children under 2 to be reliable enough. Their systems are changing so much that the testing could be inaccurate.
The blood test is actually not a reliable test. My primary care physician ordered one for me...it said I was highly allergic to shrimp. I eat shrimp ALL the time w/o any issues. I ended up going to an allergist, he is the one who told me the blood test was bogus...he does not even order them. So, basically I am saying, I would definitly consult with an allergist.
There is a link between eczema and and allergies. However, you can have eczma w/o any allergies.
Our first son had a milk/soy protein intolerance. He did have patches of eczema, a red ring around his anus, mucousy and sometimes blood streaked poop, and he could not keep down even an OTC hypoallergenic formula. We were told that all of those symptoms were indicitave of this type of intolerance.
We ended up having to go on a prescription based amino acid formula.
Is your baby having tummy issues as well, or is it just the rash?
Some mothers who have babies who are allergic to cow milk proteins also need to check the ingredients in processed foods, looking for casein and whey, and eliminate ALL sources of the offending foods before they see much improvement. Good luck!
K. R., IBCLC
It can take some people many months for dairy to clear out of your system. Your son needs to be COMPLETELY symptom free before you start reintroducing the questionable foods. That being said, it could also be an environmental or chemical intolerance. Check out the Yahoo group "Foodlab" for lots of very valuable information.
Detection can be by RAST/ELISA blood tests or more traditional “skin prick” and both have their merit (although the latter generally does not pick up IgG sensitivities). Manifestations of allergies could be traditional (wheezing, nausea, swelling, etc) or less “obvious” (ear infections, asthma, dark circles under eyes, altered behavior, rashes, eczema, constipation or irritable bowel, joint inflammation, etc). My one son has a whopping IgG titer to milk. He started getting ear infections at 11 months (same time I introduced yo-baby yogurt) that becaume chronic when I switched to whole milk. We went through ear tubes because at that time, I didn’t realize he had such a high milk IgG reaction that was likely resulting in the fluid build-up and ear infections. Eczema can have other causes than food allergy. For another of my sons nasty face/body rash the allergist’s skin prick testing failed to elucidate the cause. I finally figured out it was the whitening enzymes in my new detergent because the rash was everywhere moist EXCEPT his disposable-diapered bottom. So chemical sensitivities could be a cause. Also, mold (constant or brief exposure) and seasonal pollens could trigger. I don’t have experience with a dermatologist but one may be helpful to provide symptomatic relieve. I would also consider a D.O. as they tend to be more about finding root cause and lifestyle changes to help the body correct the problem, but they also have the pharmaceutical experience to jump in when necessary. They may also be able to refer you to a good immunologist if warranted. Finally, given that the eczema is likely indicatory that your childs’s immune system is imbalanced/antagonized, and given that symptoms appeared at 2 months (after the first big wave of multiple vaccines with multiple antigens), I would hold firm to only getting 1 vaccine at a time (go back every month to stay within the schedule) and only when your child is healthy (aside from the eczema). Also if you use pain reliever, use ibuprofen and do NOT use Tylenol/acetaminophen as it depletes glutathione levels. Finally, since your child does have IgE to egg white, I would avoid flu vaccines as these are cultured in egg.
