What is Atopy? 什么是特异性atopic？

The terms “dermatitis” and “eczema” are frequently used interchangeably. When the term “eczema” is used alone, it often refers to atopic dermatitis (atopic eczema). The term “eczematous” also denotes some crusting, serous oozing, or blister formation as opposed to mere erythema and scale. Wat is atopy or atopic?

In 1916, Cooke and van der Veer [1] reported that almost 50% of patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma had a positive family history of similar illness. In 1923, Coca and Cooke [2] coined the term atopy to describe immediate hypersensitivity reactions that had an inherited tendency. Such definition may cause the readers confusion that atopic diseases were transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion. However, the term atopy is popularly used in the medical literature and is often used synonymously with the terms allergy and immediate hypersensitivity. Consensus regarding a precise definition for atopy is lacking [3,4]. Since the discovery of IgE in 1966 by Kimishige Ishizaka and the elucidation of the mechanisms involved in immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions, most authors use the term atopy to describe the inherited tendency to develop IgE antibodies to specific allergens. The inherited tendency to produce allergen-specific IgE predisposes individuals to the development of certain diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis.

The genetic predisposition to the development of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis has been confirmed by numerous epidemiological studies [5]. The inheritance pattern of atopic disease is complex and does not follow classic Mendelian inheritance patterns. The development of these illnesses is dependent on a multiplicity of genes, and disease expression is influenced by environmental factors and exposures.[6]

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Atopic dermatitis is a common skin disease, with up to 31.6 million people affected in the United States [7]. The onset of atopic dermatitis is usually in childhood, with 60% of patients with atopic dermatitis experiencing an eruption in their first year of life [8]. Although often thought of as a disease of childhood, atopic dermatitis can also be a lifelong illness [9,10]. While there is currently no definitive cure for atopic dermatitis, but it can be well eradicated by herbl treatment without side effects occurred.

 

Reference:

  1. Cooke  Rvan der Veer  A Human sensitization.  J Immunol. 1916;1201- 205
  2. Coca  ACooke  R On the classification of the phenomenon of hypersensitiveness.  J Immunol.1923;8163- 182
  3. Lilja  GWickman  M Allergy—atopy—hypersensitivity: a matter of definition.  Allergy. 1998;531011- 1012
  4. Stoenescu  M “Atopy,” “allergy” and “hypersensitivity” are—explicitly or implicitly—defined in different ways.  Allergy. 1999;54640- 642
  5. Meyers  DBleecker  E Genetics of allergic disease.  Allergy: Principles & Practice 5th ed St Louis, Mo Mosby– Year Book Inc1998;40- 45
  6. Barnes  KC Gene-environment and gene-gene interaction studies in the molecular genetic analysis of asthma and atopy.  Clin Exp Allergy. 1999;29(suppl 4)47- 51
  7. Hanifin  JM, Reed  ML; Eczema Prevalence and Impact Working Group.  A population-based survey of eczema prevalence in the United States.  Dermatitis. 2007;18(2):82-91.
  8. Illi  S, von Mutius  E, Lau  S,  et al; Multicenter Allergy Study Group.  The natural course of atopic dermatitis from birth to age 7 years and the association with asthma.  J Allergy Clin Immunol.
  9. Ellis  CN, Mancini  AJ, Paller  AS, Simpson  EL, Eichenfield  LF.  Understanding and managing atopic dermatitis in adult patients.  Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2012;31(3)(suppl):S18-S22.
  10. Margolis  JS, Abuabara  K, Bilker  W, Hoffstad  O, Margolis  DJ.  Persistence of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis.  JAMA Dermatol. 2014;150(6):593-600.