Atopic march in children: a case report and review of current literature

The concept of atopic march was introduced about 15 years ago to define the temporal progression of different allergic conditions, from atopic dermatitis and food allergies in earliest childhood to the development of asthma and allergic rhinitis in older children. The authors describe a case report of a young girl who went through the stages of atopic march. The child first showed atopic dermatitis and food allergy in infancy, and, afterwards, she manifested allergic rhinitis and asthma in childhood. This timeline reflects the atopic march's spatial evolution, beginning with the skin and gastrointestinal tract and progressing to the upper and lower airways. In accord with the most recent evidence, rather than being defined in terms of chronological progression, atopic diseases should be investigated as a spectrum of atopic disorders that might take various developmental paths. According to this theory, the use of Component Resolved Diagnosis in atopic children can be beneficial for highlighting and predicting the atopic profile during the earliest years of life before symptoms arise, helping to stratify the clinical risk and preventing the onset of the atopic march and severe responses.