Atopic dermatitis (AD) is illustrated by the impaired skin barrier and altered cutaneous innate immunity. It may involve nearly 10% to 12% of Egyptian children. Evidence point to their probable association with systemic comorbidities other than the spectrum of atopies, like metabolic syndrome and other inflammatory conditions. 

A recent study compared the profile of systemic conditions of diabetes, dyslipidemia and multiple inflammatory markers in children with and without diagnosed AD.

One hundred AD patients and 101 normal controls were recruited for the study depending on their clinical condition, who underwent measurement of body mass index, blood sugar, serum insulin, lipid profile, C-reactive protein and gamma-glutamyltransferase for this study.

The results showed:

• Significantly higher levels of body mass index, fasting glucose, serum insulin, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyltransferase, approximately four times higher C-reactive protein level and approximately 10 times higher immunoglobulin E level in children diagnosed with AD than the controls.

Thus, a positive relationship between AD with both diabetes and hyperlipidemia was shown among children, along with a positive dose-response relationship of several nontraditional biomarkers of C-reactive protein, gamma-glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase with the existence and severity of AD.

Source: Mohamed AA, Salah EM, Bedair NI, et al. Metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers in children with atopic dermatitis (AD): a case-control study. Egypt Pediatric Association Gaz. 2021;69:34.