Cellular and molecular mechanisms in atopic dermatitis

MK Oyoshi, R He, L Kumar, J Yoon, RS Geha - Advances in immunology, 2009 - Elsevier
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a pruritic inflammatory skin disease associated with a personal or
family history of allergy. The prevalence of AD is on the rise and estimated at∼ 17% in the
USA. The fundamental lesion in AD is a defective skin barrier that results in dry itchy skin,
and is aggravated by mechanical injury inflicted by scratching. This allows entry of antigens
via the skin and creates a milieu that shapes the immune response to these antigens. This
review discusses recent advances in our understanding of the abnormal skin barrier in AD …