PD18 - Filaggrin loss-of-function variants are associated with clinical reactivity to foods

Results We included 173 children and of these, 18 children were excluded due to Mendelian errors, low call rate, diagnostic indistinctness or non-western ethnicity. The odds ratio for having loss-of-function variants of the filaggrin gene and being clinically reactive was 4.9, which corresponds to a relative risk of 1.5. A history of eczema or specific IgE values did not change the beta coefficient of the effect of the filaggrin loss-of-function gene variants ≥10%, and both variables were therefore not considered to be confounders in this association. A predictive model for clinical reactivity which included the presence of loss-of-function variants of the filaggrin gene had high specificity (98.1%) and positive predictive value (96.6%). No associations were found between loss-of-function variants of the filaggrin gene and either sensitisation or the severity of food allergy.