Introduction
Atopic dermatitis is a complex disorder that is affected by genetic and
environmental factors in which a defective skin barrier, reduced skin
innate immune responses, and polarized adaptive immune responses to
environmental allergens and microbes lead to chronic skin inflammation.1-3 Recent studies indicated that dyslipidemia is
associated with an altered adaptive immune response of Th2 cells4 and the presence of allergic diseases, particularly
allergen sensitization,5-7asthma,6,8 and allergic rhinitis.9
However, only a limited number of studies have examined the lipid
profiles of adults with atopic dermatitis.7,10-13 Some
of these studies concluded that atopic dermatitis is associated with
hyperlipidemia,7,10 but others reported no such
association.11-13 In addition, few studies have
examined the association of hyperlipidemia with atopic dermatitis in
children,14 and no long-term follow up studies have
directly assessed the severity of atopic dermatitis in children.
We hypothesized that children with atopic dermatitis have dyslipidemia.
Thus, we examined one group of children and assessed severity of atopic
dermatitis using SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) and measured the
levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides
(TG). We also hypothesized that dyslipidemia was a possible cause of
atopic dermatitis, and performed a follow-up study of another group of
asymptomatic children to record the onset of atopic dermatitis in those
with different lipid profiles.