Early life Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) values as a predictor of food allergy and sensitisation at 2 years: results from the BASELINE Study

Rationale Food Allergy is a growing public health concern. There is observational evidence that exposure to food allergens across a disrupted skin barrier can lead to food sensitisation (FS) and food allergy (FA). This mechanism of action has subsequently been proven in murine studies. We sought to ascertain whether a non invasive measurement of skin barrier function at 3 time points in early infancy could predict the development of food sensitisation and allergy in asymptomatic infants enrolled in an unselected prospective birth cohort.