Effect of elimination diets on food-specific IgE antibodies and lymphocyte proliferative responses to food antigens in atopic dermatitis patients exhibiting sensitivity to food allergens.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) selected as being sensitive to hen's egg or cow's milk responded to food antigens, ovalbumin, or bovine serum albumin, with significantly enhanced DNA synthesis compared with the DNA synthesis in PBMCs from nonatopic control subjects and food-sensitive patients with immediate symptoms. Patients were treated with elimination diets. Symptoms of AD had been in remission during elimination diets. The levels of specific IgE antibodies to hen's egg or cow's milk decreased during elimination diets in patients with positive radioallergosorbent test (RAST). In patients with negative RAST, specific IgE antibodies remained negative during elimination diets. The proliferative responses of PBMCs to food antigens also decreased during elimination diets in patients with proliferative responses before elimination diets. Taken together, specific IgE antibodies to food antigens are useful indexes of the effect of elimination diets in food-sensitive patients with AD and positive RAST, and proliferative responses of PBMCs to food antigens are useful indexes of the effect of elimination diets in food-sensitive patients with AD and proliferative responses of PBMCs.