Clinical Analys the Serum TARC Levels As the Condition Index of Atopic Dermatitis in the Early Infancy.

Background: The correct severity assessment is important for treatment of Atopic dermatitis (AD) Although the levels of serum Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) / CCL17 is well known as a proper means for assessing severity of AD, the levels of TARC are different according to the month of age. We examined a correlation of serum TARC level and Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index in patients with AD in early infancy.

Methods: Thirty-three (33) patients with atopic dermatitis (19 boys and 14 girls, age 3 to 5 months) were recruited We examined the correlation between SCORAD index and TARC levels as a primary outcome, as well as the correlations between SCORAD index and serum total IgE levels, peripheral eosinophil counts, and serum Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels as secondary outcomes.  Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used for each statistic evaluation.

Results: The median of the SCORAD index in patients was 14 (range, 1-69). Also, the medians of the TARC levels, the peripheral eosinophil counts, and the serum LDH levels were 2213pg/dl( range, 514-21776 pg/dl ), 6%(range 0%-18%) , and 290IU/ml(range 211-432 IU/ml), respectively. There was  significant positive correlation between the SCORAD index and the TARC levels (r=0.623, p < 0.001), as well as between the SCORAD index and the peripheral eosinophil counts, (r=0.638, p < 0.001).  On the other hand, there was no significant correlation between the SCORAD index and the serum total IgE levels. Also. the SCORAD index and the serum LDH levels were not correlated significantly

Conclusions: Serum TARC levels and peripheral eosinophil counts may be useful to assess severity of  AD in early infancy.