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Hypogammaglobulinemia more likely among children with atopic dermatitis

Pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis were more likely to experience hypogammaglobulinemia compared with healthy children, according to recent study results.

Researchers in Turkey studied 160 children with atopic dermatitis (median age, 14.5 months; 98 boys) and 95 healthy controls (median age, 16 months; 57 boys). The SCORing Atopic Dermatitis Index was used to measure disease severity in the children with atopic dermatitis. Nephelometry was conducted on admission to measure serum immunoglobulin in all children. Hypogammaglobulinemia was defined as “low levels of at least 1 immunoglobulin isotype less than 2 SD of the mean value for age,” the researchers wrote.

Patients with atopic dermatitis had a higher incidence of hypogammaglobulinemia compared with controls (P=.009), with the primary reason considered a low IgG level in the atopic dermatitis cohort (P=.024).

When the relationship between hypogammaglobulinemia and severity of atopic dermatitis was assessed, no statistically significant difference existed between patients with mild to moderate vs. severe atopic dermatitis regarding hypogammaglobulinemia, IgA and IgM values.

“Hypogammaglobulinemia (due to IgG deficiency) was more common in patients with atopic dermatitis than in healthy children,” the researchers concluded. “Clinically, primary immune deficiencies should be eliminated in patients presenting with atopic dermatitis regardless of severity. Because patients with primary immunodeficiency are often diagnosed late, the presence of atopic dermatitis can be an early warning sign for primary immunodeficiency.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.