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Chemokine levels in serum of children with atopic dermatitis with regard to severity and sensitization status
Author(s) -
Ahrens Birgit,
Schulz Gabriele,
Bellach Johanna,
Niggemann Bodo,
Beyer Kirsten
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
pediatric allergy and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.269
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1399-3038
pISSN - 0905-6157
DOI - 10.1111/pai.12431
Subject(s) - medicine , scorad , ccl17 , atopic dermatitis , immunology , ccl25 , sensitization , atopy , ccl20 , allergy , allergen , context (archaeology) , chemokine , chemokine receptor , inflammation , paleontology , dermatology life quality index , biology , psoriasis
Background Many infants with atopic dermatitis ( AD ) are sensitized against food or airborne allergens. The severity of AD , using the SCORAD , seems to correlate with elevated serum levels of TARC / CCL 17. Other chemokines, such as CCL 20 or CCL 25, have been described in the context of allergic inflammation. The aim of this study was to analyze whether chemokine serum levels differ within a cohort of infants suffering from varying severities of AD with or without allergic sensitization. Methods Chemokine serum levels ( CCL 8, CCL 17, CCL 20, CCL 25) as well as food and airborne allergen‐specific IgE were analyzed in infants with AD . Results About 60.9% (78/128) infants with AD (median age 8.8 months, 49 (38%) girls and 79 (62%) boys) showed a positive screening test to common food allergens and 26.6% to common airborne allergens. There was a strong correlation between serum levels of CCL 17 and SCORAD in food‐sensitized infants ( r s = 0.646, p = <1e‐04) and airborne‐sensitized infants ( r s = 0.587, p = 0.00065) in contrast to non‐sensitized ones. Moreover, food‐sensitized infants showed significantly higher levels of CCL 25 compared to non‐food‐sensitized ones (p = 0.007). Conclusion The strong correlation between TARC / CCL 17 and SCORAD in infants with specific sensitizations may be accounted for by the impaired skin barrier. As TARC / CCL 17 has been found mainly in the (inflamed) skin but not in the gut, the detection of significantly higher levels of CCL 25, ligand of CCR 9, localized primarily in the gastrointestinal tract, suggests its impact on food allergen‐induced inflammation processes in food‐sensitized infants.