Mechanisims of asthma and allergic disease – 1068. Why we should not use steroids against infections in infants with atopic dermatitis

Background Steroids used for allergies have a side effect to exacerbate the infection. However, the short-term steroid use is clinically effective against Atopic dermatitis (AD) infections. One reason is that scratching the eczema increases the risk of infection further. Another reason is that S. aureus exacerbates AD is by secreting toxins called superantigens, which stimulate activation of T cells and macrophages. Clinically, patients with AD, regardless of whether there is a skin infection, respond better to combined treatment with topical corticosteroids and antistaphylococcal antibiotics than to topical steroid therapy alone. In younger infants, their immune system development is more strongly affected by immunosuppressive agents. The present study was designed to investigate the long term effect of steroid use and recovery in siblings, where one sibling had been treated with steroid medication whereas the other sibling hadn’t.