Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Atopic dermatitis (AD) or atopic eczema , is a chronic inflammatory skin disease\ncharacterized by dry skin, itching and recurrent red and scaly skin lesions. It is a relatively\ncommon skin disease with an estimated prevalence of 10-20%. The majority of patients\nshow their first clinical symptoms in infancy or early childhood, with reported percentages\nof 60% before the age of 1 year and 85% before the age of 5 year.\nThe pathogenesis of AD is characterized by a complex interaction between a genetic\nbackground and different environmental factors. Over the last years genome wide\nlinkage mapping as well as selective region specific linkage mapping based on candidate\ngenes, has revealed many possible AD related loci on different chromosomes. Summarizing\nthere seem to be two major groups of genes present within the genetic background of AD:\ngenes encoding for epidermal or other epithelial structural proteins and genes encoding for\nmajor elements of the immune system. \nThe term “atopic dermatitis” was coined by Wise and Sulzberger in 1933 and reflects\nthe association between AD and other so-called atopic disorders, such as asthma and\nallergic rhinitis. The diagnose is based on clinical criteria, with the extensive criteria of\nHanifin and Raijka as the classical starting point published in 1980. In the years to follow\nseveral modifications were proposed, leading to publications on different new sets of\ncriteria. For our own research purposes we currently use the diagnostic criteria\nformulated by the UK working party on AD, which have been extensively validated in the\npast and are widely accepted as a diagnostic tool (figure 1).
Author: A. C. A. Devillers
Language: English
Subfield: Dermatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1730119211