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Notizen: Severity scoring of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) was introduced as a standard tool but has not been used in a population-based epidemiological study; the objective of the present study was to determine the practicability of this instrument in this setting. We assessed the distribution of the severity of atopic eczema in the community and investigated differences between east and west Germany. A factor analysis was then carried out to characterize the variables of this scoring system and to analyse possible relationships within them. A multicentre cross-sectional study was carried out in five east German and two west German locations in 1994; pre-school children (5–6 years old) were investigated and cases of atopic eczema identified by a dermatological examination. The SCORAD was used to determine the severity of atopic eczema and the results assessed using analysis of variance and principal component analysis (varimax rotation). In all, 1511 (76·2%) of the children originally contacted participated and 11·3% were diagnosed with atopic eczema at the time of examination. The median severity score was 21·4 (interquartile range 13·5) and there was a tendency to higher scores in west Germany for the mean overall score, the intensity score and the extent. ‘Erythema’ (1·30 vs. 1·06; P= 0·006) and ‘excoriation’ (0·77 vs. 0·36; P= 0·002) were significantly more prominent in children with eczema from west Germany (adjusted for observer). Interobserver variabilities of the SCORAD parameters were calculated, adjusted for location and were in accordance with earlier findings. Principal component analysis identified three independent factors accounting for 54·1% of the total variance. A severity factor, characterized by ‘extent’, ‘lichenification’, ‘excoriation’ and ‘pruritus’, was separated from a factor with an acute eczema-type profile (‘erythema’, ‘oedema’, ‘oozing’) and a factor whose major characteristics were ‘extent’, ‘dryness’, and ‘sleep loss’. We conclude that atopic eczema is frequent in pre-school children. The SCORAD proved to be readily applicable and useful in epidemiological studies, but further validation is needed.

Notizen: Background Prevalence data for atopic eczema based on a dermatological examination have not so far been available for East and West Germany. Possible differences in the proportions of extrinsic and intrinsic types of eczema, and how far these could explain differences in the prevalence of eczema, need to be clarified. Objectives To compare the prevalence of atopic eczema in pre-school children between different locations in East and West Germany, and over a period of 7 years, at three time points. Additionally, to determine the proportions of intrinsic and extrinsic types of eczema by taking skin prick test reactivity into account. Methods Repeated cross-sectional studies in 1991, 1994 and 1997 in 5–6-year-old pre-school children at five different locations in West Germany (n = 2075) and six in East Germany (n = 1926) were carried out. Individuals with eczema were identified by an examination performed by physicians of the Department of Dermatology. In addition, a skin prick test and a standardized questionnaire were used. Results The overall prevalence of atopic eczema in these children was 10·4%. At all three times of investigation (1991, 17·5% vs. 11·2%; 1994, 12·6% vs. 8·7%; 1997, 11·2% vs. 4·5%) and in the total group (12·9% vs. 8·2%), the prevalence was significantly higher in East than in West Germany. After controlling for influences of sex, parental history of atopic diseases, observer and socio-economic status in multiple logistic regression analyses, these differences remained significant for 1991, 1994 and for the overall group (odds ratio, OR 1·78, 95% confidence interval, CI 1·43–2·21). Girls (OR 1·56, 95% CI 1·27–1·92) and children whose parents had a higher level of school education (OR 1·17, 95% CI 1·00–1·37) were affected more frequently. Of all children, 26·6%, and of those with eczema, 41·9% exhibited at least one reaction in the prick test (OR 2·21, 95% CI 1·75–2·80; sensitization in eczema vs. no eczema). Whereas 50·4% of the children with eczema in West Germany were sensitized, only 36·5% of the diseased children in East Germany reacted positively in the prick test (OR 1·77, 95% CI 1·12–2·79). Conclusions These results are in accordance with findings regarding allergic sensitization and hay fever and might indicate that factors other than allergy are responsible for the higher prevalence of atopic eczema in East Germany.

Notizen: Fourteen patients suffering from acute, exacerbated atopic eczema were screened for changes in collagen I and collagen III metabolism in serum (n = 11), urine (n = 11) and skin biopsies (n = 9) before and after medium-dose ultraviolet (UV) A1 phototherapy (15 exposures of 50 J/cm2 over a 3-week period, total dose 750 J/cm2). Mature collagen I and, to a lesser extent, mature collagen III were found to be decreased after the therapy in skin samples from the irradiated patients. As markers of collagen I degradation, the cross-links pyridoline and deoxypyridoline were analysed in urine using high-performance liquid chromatography. Both cross-links were found to be mildly increased after UVA1 phototherapy, without reaching statistical significance. As markers of de novo collagen synthesis we screened for the procollagen I-carboxyterminal peptide (PICP) and procollagen III-aminoterminal peptide (PIIINP) levels in serum and skin. The ratio of PICP to PIIINP in serum dropped significantly after the UVA1 phototherapy, suggesting a different impact of UVA1 on the two collagens. These findings were paralleled by a diminished ratio of PICP to PIIINP in tissue samples. Staining for matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) and its specific counterpart, tissue inhibitor of MMP-1 (TIMP-1), showed slight increases for both proteins by therapeutic UVA1; this was also seen in serum for TIMP-1 but not MMP-1. In our study, high-energy UVA1 doses induced changes of the skin collagens in patients with atopic eczema which are measurable by their metabolites in serum and urine.

Notizen: Background:  The study of partners can help to understand the impact of environmental influences on the development of allergies. We aimed to test the hypothesis that subjects whose partners have hay fever are at increased risk for the same disease and that the risk increases with the time subjects live together with an affected partner.Methods:  A nested unmatched case–control study was performed in a random sample of 4261 inhabitants, aged 25–74 years, of the City of Augsburg, Germany, and two adjacent counties. Using standardized computer-assisted face-to-face interviews, we determined the risk of doctor-diagnosed hay fever in subjects who lived together with a partner having the same disease as opposed to subjects living with an unaffected partner. Furthermore, the risk of doctor-diagnosed hay fever depending on the time the subjects had lived together with an affected partner was calculated.Results:  After adjustment for age, sex, parental predisposition and social status, the risk of hay fever was more than double in subjects who lived together with a partner having the same disease (odds ratio, ORadj., 2.41; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.48–3.92). If subjects lived together with an affected partner, the risk of developing the disease increased with the time the partners lived together (1–11 years, OR 1; 12–23 years, OR 1.8; 24–35 years, OR 7.4; 36–54 years, OR 13.7).Conclusion:  The risk of developing hay fever is significantly elevated in subjects who live together with a partner having the same disease. The risk further increases with the time the partners live together. This points to important shared environmental influences or behaviours and raises speculations on a transmissible cause.

Notizen: Background Influences of microbial pathogens are crucial for the maturation of the immune system. Caspase-recruitment domain containing protein 15 (CARD15) is a cytosolic receptor involved in bacterial recognition by antigen-presenting cells. CARD15 polymorphisms have been associated with Crohn's disease. Recently, associations with atopic phenotypes have been reported in children.Objective Within a large population of German adults (n=1875), we evaluated eight CARD15 polymorphisms for associations with atopic phenotypes.Methods Subjects were phenotyped by standardized questionnaires and interviews as well as total and allergen-specific IgE measurements. Genotyping was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization – time of flight mass spectrometry. Haplotypes were estimated using the SAS/Genetics module.Results Subjects with a T allele at rs1077861 had a decreased risk of developing asthma (odds ratio OR=0.648, P=0.013), whereas the presence of an A allele at rs3135500 was significantly associated with an increased risk (OR=1.374, P=0.023). In addition, a CARD15 haplotype revealed to be protective against the development of asthma (OR=0.326, P=0.003). Subjects with an A allele at position rs5743266 or a T allele at rs2066842 had a significantly decreased risk of developing allergic rhinoconjunctivitis with ORs of 0.820 (P=0.049) and 0.801 (P=0.025). Polymorphism rs2066845 showed a significant association with increased total serum IgE (OR=2.155, P=0.006).Conclusion Genetic variants of CARD15 that might result in inappropriate immunomodulation are not only associated with autoimmune diseases but also with atopic disorders.

Notizen: Background Atopic diseases develop on a genetic background and are modulated by environmental factors among which some infectious diseases are thought to have a protective influence.Objective The aim of this study was to determine the influence of infectious diseases in younger ages, bacterial and viral, on atopic diseases and sensitization to aero- and foodallergens in adults.Methods A population-based sample of 4262 subjects aged 25–74 years were interviewed concerning their history of infectious disease within the first 18 years of life. Information about allergic disease, including atopic eczema, allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma was obtained. A blood sample was drawn and analysed for allergen-specific IgE antibodies against food- and aeroallergens.Results Multiple logistic regression analyses identified viral infection to be associated with AR (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.39; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.13–1.72) and sensitization to aeroallergens (OR=1.21; 95% CI: 1.05–1.41). Bacterial disease was a negative predictor for atopy development in the subgroup of patients sensitized to nutritional allergens with concomitant atopic eczema (OR=0.34; 95% CI: 0.11–0.99), AR (OR=0.67; 95% CI: 0.42–1.07), or asthma (OR=0.41; 95% CI: 0.19–0.87). Influences of viral and bacterial infection on AR differed with regard to family history of atopic disease.Conclusion In our study population, history of viral infection was consistently positively associated with AR. Our data suggests that bacterial infections might be preventive for specific subgroups of atopy.

Notizen: Background The increase in allergic diseases is still unexplained. It was hypothesized that the intake of unsaturated fatty acids is a contributing cause of this development. We investigated the relationship between serum cholesterol levels, intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and manifestations of atopy in a population-based setting.Methods A nested case–control study was performed within the population of the 3rd MONICA survey in Augsburg (Germany). The serum levels of total, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of 1537 adults (aged 28–78 years, response 61.4%) and the estimated intake of PUFA in a subset of 139 men were compared with the frequency of a doctor's diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR), atopic eczema (AE) and allergic sensitization as measured by skin prick and Radio Allergo Sorbent Test.Findings In bivariate analyses, we obtained a negative linear association between total and LDL cholesterol levels and the frequency of AR and sensitization, which was no longer significant after adjustment for important confounders. In contrast, positive linear associations were found between HDL cholesterol levels and AR and AE and, furthermore, between the intake of PUFA and allergic sensitization in men (P〈0.01). After adjustment, an increasing risk for atopic diseases with increasing levels of HDL cholesterol and an increasing risk for allergic sensitization with increasing intakes of PUFA remained statistically significant.Interpretation There is indication that HDL cholesterol also plays a role in the complex interaction of fat intake, metabolism and the manifestation of atopy in adults. These findings may contribute to the understanding of time trends and regional differences of allergies.