IL4RA and Food Allergy Association Is Mediated by Atopic Dermatitis in School-Aged Children

According to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, atopic dermatitis (AD) mediates the interleukin-4 receptor alpha chain gene (IL4RA) variant and food allergy (FA) association in school-aged children.

Researchers aimed to determine whether AD mediates the IL4RA variant, the IL4Rα-R576 polymorphism, and FA relationship in a study that enrolled 433 children with asthma. The School Inner-City Asthma study included genotyping for the IL5RA⁵⁷⁶ allele and administering surveys to determine FA, AD, and allergic responses.

A total of 45% of participants with AD and 19% with FA were reported. Risk alleles increased AD odds by 1.39-fold and AD increased FA odds by 3.67-fold. An indirect effect of genotype was mediated by AD and predicted FA where each risk allele increased FA odds by 1.13. Each risk allele increased severe FA symptoms odds by 2.68-fold.

“In a cohort of children with asthma, AD is part of the causal pathway between an IL4RA variant and FA,” concluded the study authors.

Reference
Banzon TM, Kelly MS, Bartnikas LM, et al. Atopic dermatitis mediates the association between an IL4RA variant and food allergy in school-aged children. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. Published online May 16, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2022.04.042