Original Article

Clinical and Labotatory Relevance of Atopic Dermatitis to its Degree of Severity

Ka-Yeun Chang, So-Yun Cho, Ho-Jung Kang, Jeong-Hee Hahm
Author Information & Copyright
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Korea.

Copyright ⓒ 1998. Ewha Womans University School of Medicine. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published Online: Sep 30, 1998

Abstract

Objectives

This study was performed to investigate the clinical manifestations and laboratory findings, and to see whether the severity of atopic dermatitis(AD) implies a relationship to the clinical and laboratory findings.

Methods

Our study was designed by analyzing outpatients with AD via physical examination, questionnaires and laboratory investigations such as prick test to house dust mites, bacterial cultures, total IgE, IgA, IgG, IgG4, IgM, and peripheral eosinophil count.

Results

1) Xerosis, ear fissuring and hyperlinear palms were related to the severity of AD(p<0.05). 2) Sweating, foods and aeroallrgen were related to the severity of AD(p<0.05). 3) The presence of family history of AD differed significantly(p<0.05) between the severe group(57.9%) & the mild group(26.3%). 4) The positivity of the prick test to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D.farinae was found in 90.0% of respiratory group and in 30.0% of AD only(p<0.05%). 5) Serum IgE level was higher in the severe group(938.3±601.8 IU/mL) than the mild group(526.7±352.1IU/mL)(p<0.05). 6) Serum IgE level in AD patients with respiratory disease(1025.8±713.2IU/mL) was higher than AD only(403.3±273.4IU/mL)(p<0.05). 7) Peripheral eosinophil counts were higher in the severe group(509.9±389.4/mm3) than the mild group(340.5±219.4/mm3)(p<0.05).

Conclusion

The factors related to severity of AD were xerosis, ear fissuring, hyperlinear palms, sweating, food, aeroallergen, serum IgE and peripheral eosinophil count. The AD patients with respiratory allergic disease had higher IgE levels and higher positive rates of prick test with house dust mite.

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; Clinical and laboratory findings