Background: Food sensitization is frequently reported in atopic dermatitis (AD), whereas its role in chronic urticaria (CU) remains uncertain. Comparative adult data from India are limited. Objective: To compare food sensitization profiles between adults with AD and CU and assess short-term outcomes following targeted allergen avoidance. Methods: A total of 126 adults with AD (n = 24) or CU (n = 102) underwent skin prick testing using a standardized 56-allergen panel. All received structured allergen avoidance counselling with fortnightly reassessment over 6 weeks. Severity was assessed using SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) for AD and the urticaria activity score over 7 days (UAS7) for CU. Results: Sensitization burden was significantly greater in AD than in CU. The median food sensitivity score was 44.5 versus 17.0, and the median number of positive allergens was 27.0 versus 12.5 (both P < 0.001), with higher sensitization across all allergen categories. The mean SCORAD decreased from 48.5 ± 9.5 to 25.2 ± 5.1, and mean UAS7 from 24.4 ± 7.6 to 11.5 ± 6.5 at 6 weeks (both P < 0.001). Conclusions: Adults with AD demonstrated substantially greater food sensitization burden than those with CU, with clinically meaningful reductions in disease severity scores observed following targeted allergen avoidance in both conditions.
Agrawal et al. (2026) studied this question.