IL‐31 significantly correlates with disease activity and Th2 cytokine levels in children with atopic dermatitis

Abstract

To cite this article: Raap U, Weißmantel S, Gehring M, Eisenberg AM, Kapp A, Fölster‐Holst R. IL‐31 significantly correlates with disease activity and Th2 cytokine levels in children with atopic dermatitis. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2012: 23: 285–288. Recently, we could show that IL‐31 serum levels are significantly increased in adult patients with atopic dermatitis compared with skin healthy controls. However, the regulation of IL‐31 in children with atopic dermatitis so far is not clear. Thus, we analyzed IL‐31 serum levels together with IL‐4, IL‐13, ECP, and total IgE levels in 60 children with extrinsic, in five children with intrinsic atopic dermatitis, and 20 non‐atopic healthy children. Further, we determined the SCORAD score, sleeplessness, and pruritus severity in all children with atopic dermatitis. IL‐31 was significantly increased in children with the intrinsic and extrinsic type of atopic dermatitis compared with non‐atopic healthy children (p < 0.05‐0.001). Further, IL‐31 serum levels significantly correlated with SCORAD score (p < 0.01), sleeplessness (p < 0.05), IL‐4, and IL‐13 levels (p < 0.01) in children with extrinsic atopic dermatitis. There was no correlation of IL‐31 with pruritus, total IgE Ab, and ECP levels, whereas ECP levels significantly correlated with the SCORAD score in children with extrinsic atopic dermatitis. Together, IL‐31 represents an interesting cytokine especially with regard to the severity of the inflammatory process indicated by the correlation of IL‐31 with SCORAD score and Th2 cytokines including IL‐4 and IL‐13 in children with extrinsic atopic dermatitis.