Atopic Dermatitis--clinical Epidemiology and Immunological Correlations.

AIM Medical records from 2010-2014 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed in view of determining the correlations between the clinical severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) and total IgE level, eosinophilia, place of residence, family history of atopy, type of birth, and natural or artificial feeding. MATERIAL AND METHODS Following medical record review, 296 cases diagnosed with AD were included in the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v20 for determining the frequency and testing the hypotheses, for p < 0.05, by t tests and One-Way ANOVA. RESULTS Of the 296 cases, 53% were male children and 47% female children aged 1 month to 16 years. According to total serum IgE level, 49.3% of patients had elevated IgE levels, 20.6% normal levels and in 30.03% of cases it was not determined. According to the SCORAD, children had mild AD in 20% of cases, moderate in 70%, and severe in 10%. The independent samples t tests showed a statistically significant difference between the means demonstrating correlations between IgE level and place of residence (p < 0.01), family history of atopy (p < 0.01), baby feeding (p < 0.01), and by one-way ANOVA for SCORAD (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Atopy in AD can be influenced by complex factors, both internal and environmental, but this remains a controversial topic. External factors acting on a background genetically predisposed to atopy trigger the manifestation of AD.