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Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2007 June;142(3):243-9

Copyright © 2007 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Immunological aspects of atopic dermatitis

Silny W., Czarnecka-Operacz M.

Department of Dermatology K. Marcinkowski Medical University Poznań, Poland

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory skin disease involving epidermis and dermis. It is highly pruritic and skin lesions present typical eczematous morphology as well as characteristic localizations. AD is often associated with other atopic diseases. The pathophysiology of AD includes a genetic predisposition, impaired skin barrier function, frequent allergic responses to common environmental allergens and defects in the antimicrobial immune defense. This review presents basic advances in the understanding of immunological aspects of AD.