Sanae Inokuchi-Sakata, Yozo Ishiuji, Michie Katsuta, Budiman Kharma, Ken-ichi Yasuda, Mitsutoshi Tominaga, Kenji Takamori, Yoshimasa Nobeyama, Akihiko Asahina
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-3838

The aim of this study is to elucidate the relationship between 2 different types of severity-indicating parameters (i.e. between subjective and objective severity-indicating parametersin patients with atopic dermatitis. The disease severity of 55 patients with atopic dermatitis was assessed using 7 subjective parameters indicating severity, including visual analogue scale for itch, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, 5-D itch scale, Dermatology Life Quality Index, Eczema Area and Severity Index, body surface area, and Investigator Global Assessment, and 8 objective parameters indicating severity, including eosinophil relative count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lactate dehydrogenase, and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine. Five subjective parameters reflecting itch correlated significantly with eosinophil relative count, but not with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. In contrast, 2 subjective parameters, mainly reflecting the degree of inflammation and area of affected regions, correlated significantly with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. The eosinophil relative count may correlate with the degree of itch, while the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may correlate with the degree of inflammation and the area of the affected region. The eosinophil relative count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may thus be stand-alone parameters from each other in the assessment of the severity of atopic dermatitis.

To date, the relationship between the 2 different types of severity-indicating parameters (i.e. between subjective and objective severity-indicating parameters) in patients with atopic dermatitis has not been sufficiently elucidated. This study elucidates the relationship between the subjective and objective severity-indicating parameters in atopic dermatitis. Eosinophil relative count in the peripheral blood is considered to correlate with degree of itch in patients with atopic dermatitis, while neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in the peripheral blood is considered to correlate with the degree of inflammation and the area of the affected region. Eosinophil relative count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may be stand-alone parameters from each other in the assessment of the severity of atopic dermatitis.

Figure S1