Egg introduction before the age of 6 months and the risk of egg allergy

A systematic review of early food introduction found early introduction of peanuts to decrease the risk of peanut allergy by RR 0.60 (0.46-0.77) «Scarpone R, Kimkool P, Ierodiakonou D, ym. Timing of Allergenic Food Introduction and Risk of Immunoglobulin E-Mediated Food Allergy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr 2023;177(5):48»1. In the Finnish population, the risk of egg allergy is about 1-2%, which translates into an absolute reduction of 4-8 cases per 1000 infants. The early introduction increased the study withdrawal, RR 1.58 (1.12-2.22, event rates in early introduction 1605/3811 and in later introduction 586/3631). Relative risks for study withdrawal were lower in placebo-controlled trials, suggesting good tolerability, but difficulties in the implementation/acceptability of the intervention.

The evidence is indirect as the comparator groups introduced egg consumption at 8 months (only one small study on high-risk population compared introduction at 3-4 months versus 12 weeks later).

Results