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Atopic Dermatitis

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Braun-Falco´s Dermatology

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Abstract

Atopic eczema is a mostly chronic, inflammatory, non-contagious skin disease that is accompanied by severe itching and often occurs in families, alone or in combination with asthma or allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. In most patients, IgE-mediated sensitizations to airborne or food allergens (extrinsic atopic eczema) can be detected. A distinction is made between a morphologically similar clinical picture in which neither specific IgE antibodies in the serum nor immediate-type reactions are detectable in the skin test against common aeroallergens (intrinsic atopic eczema). The prevalence of atopic eczema in Europe is 15–20% in children and 1.5–5% in adults. Scientific studies underline that in susceptible patients an epidermal barrier defect, together with microbial skin colonization and neuroimmunological processes, leads to an inflammatory response characterized by Th2, Th22, and Th1 cells.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Bernhard Homey

  2. Department and Polyclinic of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Thomas Ruzicka & Andreas Wollenberg

Authors
  1. Bernhard Homey
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  2. Thomas Ruzicka
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  3. Andreas Wollenberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bernhard Homey .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Gerd Plewig

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Lars French

  3. Department of Dermatology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Thomas Ruzicka

  4. Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Frankfurt University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany

    Roland Kaufmann

  5. Clinic for Dermatology and Allergology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    Michael Hertl

Section Editor information

  1. Department and Poliklinik of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Thomas Ruzicka

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Homey, B., Ruzicka, T., Wollenberg, A. (2021). Atopic Dermatitis. In: Plewig, G., French, L., Ruzicka, T., Kaufmann, R., Hertl, M. (eds) Braun-Falco´s Dermatology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-58713-3_32-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-58713-3_32-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-58713-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-58713-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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