A new autoimmune disease: atopic dermatitis in children

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is mainly considered an allergy, exacerbated by allergic factors. Is there evidence to suggest the existence of autoimmune components in the pathophysiology of the illness? Studies in the literature that dealt with the occurrence of autoimmunity in children with AD were analyzed. We followed the studies published in PubMed for 10 years, from 2001 to 2021. Clinical signs and symptoms were similar to other autoimmune diseases, having periods of remission and relapses. Other correlations between AD and autoimmune diseases have been described, and patients with AD can also present with a wide range of autoimmune comorbidities. Three major factors contribute to the pathogenesis of AD: damage of the skin barrier, disorders of the immune response, and imbalances of the skin microbiome—all based on genetic changes and influenced by environmental factors. Predominant activation of Th 2 cells, with the increase of Th 1, Th 17, and Th 22 subsets, promotes skin inflammation. All this evidence suggests that AD might be classified as an autoimmune disease, not just as an allergic reaction.

Self-reactive IgE and anti-IgE therapy in autoimmune diseases

“…Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, non-infectious inflammatory disease of the skin of multifactoral etiology, including environmental factors, impaired skin barrier function, and immune system dysregulation ( Otsuka et al, 2017 ). The pathogenesis of inflammation in AD is highly complex, with remissions and relapses and a heterogeneous clinical course strikingly resembles autoimmune diseases ( Floca et al, 2022 ). AD typically occurs early in life in a large majority of cases, with 50% of AD cases beginning in the first year of life, and 85% beginning by the age of five ( Sacotte and Silverberg, 2018 ).…”

Diseases from the Spectrum of Dermatitis and Eczema: Can “Omics” Sciences Help with Better Systematics and More Accurate Differential Diagnosis?

“…These early clinical observations were later supported by epidemiological data showing that patients with diagnosed AD are at a significantly higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases, with the highest odds ratio for alopecia areata (an 8–10-fold increased risk in AD patients), followed by vitiligo, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, thrombocytopenia and autoimmune thyroiditis [ 115 , 116 ]. Recently, AD has been announced somewhat emphatically as “a new autoimmune disease” [ 117 ]. Nevertheless, it is a matter of debate whether AD has always been an autoimmune disease without most clinicians and researchers realizing it or if perhaps new research methods have allowed a distinct disease within the heterogeneous group of patients thought to be ill with AD to be singled out.…”

The Impact of Processing and Extraction Methods on the Allergenicity of Targeted Protein Quantification as Well as Bioactive Peptides Derived from Egg

“…The prevalence of egg allergy varies widely across different populations and geographical regions, likely due to differences in dietary habits, genetic factors, and environmental exposures. Studies have also shown that egg allergy is prevalent in individuals with other allergic conditions, such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”