In 4,456 children from the NorthPop Birth Cohort (Sweden), this prospective study examined whether the anatomical location of eczema at age 9 months — body only, head/neck/hands only, or combined — was associated with physician-diagnosed food allergy (FA) and IgE food sensitization at age 18 months.
Head/neck/hands eczema was associated with higher odds of FA (aOR 2.30; 95% CI: 1.08–4.69), and combined head/neck/hands + body eczema showed the strongest association (aOR 4.33; 95% CI: 3.18–5.89); body-only eczema was not associated with increased FA risk.
FA was based on parental report of physician diagnosis rather than oral food challenge, which may introduce misclassification. Eczema location was parent-reported at a single time point (9 months), potentially missing dynamic changes. Residual confounding from unmeasured factors (e.g., timing of allergen introduction) cannot be excluded.
Clinicians should document not just the severity but also the location of infant eczema — involvement of the head, neck, or hands by 9 months signals meaningfully higher food allergy risk and may warrant earlier or more proactive food allergy screening and counseling.
