2023-09-14 09:14:52
The SKIN research group at UZ Brussel and VUB studies the role of the immune system in the development of atopic eczema, an inflammatory reaction of the skin and one of the most common skin conditions. To do this, they are collaborating with the German University of Bonn and the Swiss Christine Kühne Center – Allergy Research and Education Center. Researchers are thus potentially opening the way to early treatment of this skin condition.
Professor Jan Gutermuth, Head of the Department of Dermatology at UZ Brussel, and Professor Inge Kortekaas, as well as Professor Thomas Bieber and colleagues from the University of Bonn (Germany) and the Center for Research and Education on allergies Christine Kühne (Switzerland), analyzed blood samples from more than 600 patients suffering from atopic dermatitis. In particular, they checked the presence of IgE or immunoglobulin E in the body, a protein which can form during allergic reactions and to which the immune system reacts, for example by developing eczema.
Researchers found a strong correlation between IgE autoreactivity in eczema patients and allergic conditions, including hay fever, allergic asthma and food allergy. This means that eczema patients who have these antibodies are almost always affected by one or more other allergies. Additionally, patients with IgE autoantibodies showed a strong correlation with factors such as being born during pollen season, young adulthood, and little contact with pets.
“This is the first time that a study of this magnitude has been carried out on autoimmune phenomena in atopic eczema. The presence of these antibodies might help identify at an early stage in children whether they are likely to develop certain allergies,” said Professor Gutermuth. “This is important because it potentially opens the way to better prevention and early treatment of atopic eczema, as well as allergic asthma and hay fever.”
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