GROWTH IMPAIRMENT IN INFANTS WITH ATOPIC DERMATITIS

The study deals with the physical growth of 133 infants with atopic dermatitis and 18controls. The SD scores of wight and serum IGF-I levels in severe group was significantly lower than those of mild and modelate groups. On the otherhand, the SD scores of weight and serum IGF-I levels showed no significant difference between the patients with and without food elimination. These results suggested that pathogeneses of the impaired physical growth of severe atopic infants may be due to malnutrition because of malabsorption from small intestine, and avoidance of allergenic foods do not disturb the physical growth in severe atopic infants. The SD scores of height in the patients with severe restricted diet, namely, avoidance of strictly not only egg but also cow's milk, was significantly lower than those of in the patients with avoidance of egg or cow's milk. Those results suggested that strict avoidance of many foods shoud not be extended over a long-term.