Objective: We sought to compare the status of immunoglobulin E sensitization in various inflammatory skin diseases.
Methods: Serum specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels for 41 common food and aeroallergens were measured in a total of 380 adult patients who were diagnosed as allergic contact dermatitis (n = 31), atopic dermatitis (n = 44), acute urticaria (n = 103), chronic urticaria (n = 109), irritant contact dermatitis (n = 19), other eczema (n = 47), and pruritus (n = 27). Sensitization to allergens was defined as specific IgE levels equal to or greater than 0.35 kU/L.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the numbers of the sensitized allergens between the skin conditions (p = 0.176). Sensitizations to milk and beef antigens were higher in atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, and pruritus compared to the others (p = 0.041 and 0.006, respectively). In addition, sensitizations to yeast, cladosporium, and candida were significantly higher in atopic dermatitis compared to the others (p = 0.001, 0.027, and <0.001, respectively). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the rate of sensitization to the other allergens.
Conclusions: The overall status of allergic sensitization was similar in various inflammatory skin diseases. However, several allergens were more closely associated with specific skin conditions.