Expert interview: Pr. Brigitte Dréno
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that appears in periodic flareups. Like asthma, hay fever or allergic conjunctivitis, it is classified as an allergic disease. The disease causes very poorly defined oozing red lesions to appear in specific locations on the skin, such as in the folds of the elbow or behind the knees, but at times also on the face or the rest of the body. AD usually appears in early childhood, and may persist into adulthood. The causes are multifactorial and complex and include a genetic predisposition (mutation of the skin protein, filaggrin), an alteration of the skin barrier, a dysbiosis of the skin and gut microbiota, and immune dysregulation.
AD affects 15%-20% of children and 10% of adults in “developed” countries. The number of cases has increased significantly in recent decades due to pollution and contact with allergens.1
