Antinuclear antibodies tended to appear earlier in children with atopic dermatitis, according to Dr. Krista Ress of the University of Tartu (Estonia) and her associates.
The researchers compared 346 serum samples from children with active atopic dermatitis to samples from 117 controls with no known skin disease. Although there was no significant difference in the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) between the atopic and control groups, the antibodies appeared significantly earlier in children with atopic dermatitis. ANA appeared in children with dermatitis as early as 2 years of age, compared with an average of 4.6 years of age in the control group. Overall ANA prevalence increased with age in both groups.
Active atopic dermatitis during a child’s early years could indicate a more severe form of the disease and could dispose patients toward earlier development of systemic autoreactivity, the researchers said.
Read the full article at the International Journal of Dermatology (Int. J. Dermatol. 2015;54:24-8).