Dictionary of Allergies .. AEDS (Atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome)

AEDS (Atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome)

AEDS affects up to one in 10 children. Onset is usually in the first weeks and months of life and, while most affected people enter spontaneous remission, the dermatitis may persist into adult life. The importance of genetic factors in AEDS is underlined by the finding that a positive parental history is the strongest risk factor for AEDS; the incidence rate is doubled if AEDS is present in one parent, and tripled if both parents are affected. Atopy seems to be inherited paternally in some families, and the offspring of two atopic parents have a greater chance of atopy than children of a single affected parent[1]. A major locus that causes a general predisposition to atopy was found at 5q31; Forrest etal.[2] postulated that this chromosomal region contains a gene predisposing to AEDS. Treatment with LGG may alleviate AEDS symptoms in IgE-sensitized infants but not in non-IgE-sensitized infants. See Atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS); Atopic dermatitis; Dermatitis, atopic.

References

1. Klüken H, Wienker T, Bieber T. Atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome - a genetically complex disease. New advances in discovering the genetic contribution. Allergy. 2003 Jan;58(1):5-12

2. Forrest S, Dunn K, Elliott K, Fitzpatrick E, Fullerton J, McCarthy M, Brown J, Hill D, Williamson R. Identifying genes predisposing to atopic eczema. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999 Nov;104(5):1066-70
3.Viljanen M, Savilahti E, Haahtela T, Juntunen-Backman K, Korpela R, Poussa T, Tuure T, Kuitunen M. Probiotics in the treatment of atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome in infants: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Allergy. 2005 Apr;60(4):494-500. Comment in: Arch Dermatol. 2006 Sep;142(9):1201-3.