Eczema and Allergy
The relationship between atopic eczema and food and environmental allergy.
Last revised
Key takeaways
- Primary treatment: emollients and topical steroids, used adequately
- Food allergy: relevant in a minority, mainly infants with severe eczema
- Most useful single change: Treat the skin properly before investigating food triggers.
- Commonest mistake: Excluding foods without assessment.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Why it matters
Eczema is a skin barrier condition first, and treating it as a food allergy problem leads to unnecessary exclusions and worse nutrition.
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Primary treatment | emollients and topical steroids, used adequately |
| Food allergy | relevant in a minority, mainly infants with severe eczema |
| Unnecessary exclusion diets | risk nutritional harm and may increase allergy risk |
| Atopic march | eczema often precedes asthma and hay fever |
What helps
- Treat the skin properly before investigating food triggers
- Use emollients generously and steroids at the strength prescribed
- Seek dietetic support before any exclusion diet in a child
- Identify and reduce irritants such as soap and heat
What to avoid
- Excluding foods without assessment
- Under-treating with topical steroids through fear
- Assuming eczema flares are always food-related
Where to go next
- Eczema and Allergy: The Questions People Actually Ask
- Eczema and Allergy in Five Minutes
- What the Guidance Really Says About House Dust Mite
- What the Guidance Really Says About Insect Stings
When to get help
See a GP urgently for rapidly worsening eczema with fever, painful clustered blisters or punched-out sores, which can indicate eczema herpeticum — a medical emergency. Call 999 for swelling of the lips, tongue or throat or difficulty breathing after eating.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.