Study finds higher allergy rates in children with hypermobile EDS
Children with hEDS also had more asthma and medication allergies
Written by |
Children and young adults with hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS) had higher rates of allergic rhinitis (hay fever), medication allergies, food allergies or intolerances, and asthma than children in the U.S., a study showed.
“Due to the increased prevalence of atopic conditions, health care providers should be aware of and monitor for signs of atopic and allergic conditions in pediatric patients with hEDS,” researchers wrote. “Allergy and pulmonology specialists should be considered in the management of pediatric patients with hEDS if symptoms are present.”
The study, “Prevalence of Atopic Disease in Pediatric Patients with Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome,” was published in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology by researchers from Children’s Mercy Kansas City and Kansas City University.
EDS comprises a group of genetic diseases that affect connective tissue, which supports and holds together other tissues in the body. As with other types of EDS, patients with hypermobile EDS have overly flexible (hypermobile) joints and skin that stretches more than usual.
Study examines atopic conditions in younger hEDS patients
Treating EDS can be complex because patients often have other health problems, known as comorbidities. Atopic diseases involve an immune system tendency to react to usually harmless substances, influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. These conditions have been reported more often in adults with EDS than in the general population.
However, less is known about how common atopic diseases are in younger patients. The goal of this study was to compare rates of these conditions in children and young adults diagnosed with hypermobile EDS, the most common type of EDS, with rates reported for the U.S. pediatric population.
The study included 149 patients ages 8 to 22 who had hypermobile EDS and at least one atopic condition. Most patients were female (85%) and white (89%). More than half of the patients (53%) used antihistamines to ease allergy symptoms, while 18% used a nasal corticosteroid to reduce inflammation.
Nearly half (46%) had allergic rhinitis, which involves inflammation of the nasal passages and can cause sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy eyes. Other conditions included medication allergies (44%), mainly to antibiotics; asthma (39%), a chronic disease in which the airways become inflamed and narrowed; and food allergies or intolerances (25%), including lactose intolerance and reported allergies or sensitivities to gluten.
Compared with reported rates among U.S. children, patients with hypermobile EDS had higher rates of allergic rhinitis (46% vs. 19%), medication allergies (44% vs. 10%), and asthma (39% vs. 7%). Food allergies or intolerances were recorded in 25% of patients, compared with a reported food-allergy rate of 6% among U.S. children. Rates of atopic dermatitis, or eczema, were similar in the study group and among U.S. children (14% vs. 11%), and the difference was not statistically significant. Eczema can cause dry, itchy skin.
The researchers concluded that allergic rhinitis, medication allergies, food allergies or intolerances, and asthma were more common among the patients with hypermobile EDS studied than among U.S. children. “Future work is needed to determine the degree and impact of these conditions on overall health and how they may be related to other comorbidities seen in patients with EDS,” the researchers wrote.
David Chorley
It comes as no surprise that EDS zebras with hyper mobility POTD and Mast Cell have worse allergies