Clinic al and immunologic al characteristic ofinfants with atopic dermatitis

Background. The research is focused on the particularities of formation and course of atopic dermatitis in infancy
depending on the range of sensitization and class of revealed antibodies.
Methods. The article presents the results of clinical and immunological observation of 116 children aged from
1 month to 3 years with the clinical-anamnestic signs of atopic dermatitis. The immunological observation consisted
of the following stages: determination of concentration of the general IgE, quantitative testing of concentrations
of the serum IgE and IgG4 antibodies to allergens of cow and goat milk, chicken eggs and wheat, house dust and
through the immune-enzyme analysis.
Results and discussion. According to the results of the immunological observation the patients were divided into
3 groups: I - IgE+IgG4 - positive, II - IgG4 - positive, III - absence of above-mentioned classes of antibodies.
The patients of group I are characterized by the early sensitization to cow milk proteins, the manifestation of
the disease up to 3 months appears on pure breast feeding. The detection of the specific IgE antibodies to allergens
of chicken eggs is a sign of danger of the development of sensitization towards inhalation house dust
allergens and of the formation of respiratory allergy. For the children of group II the later age of manifestation
of skin process (in more than half of children after introduction of milk food) and easier course of disease are
significant. Anamnesis of the disease and the clinical manifestations of one third of patients of group III in the
absence of the evidence of IgE-sensitization coincides with that of the patients of group I (age of manifestation,
severity of disease). In accordance with received results, we can suggest that in this group there are patients with
the unidentified immunopathological mechanism of formation of the disease.
Conclusion. The immunological observation of infants by the detection of the specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies
to widespread food allergens allows to reveal the peculiarities of immune response which in their turn define
the clinical-anamnestic signs of atopic dermatitis.

IgE, atopic dermatitis, infants, IgE, IgG4 antibody