Anxiety Accelerates Immune Responses in AD Patients
Anxiety Accelerates Immune Responses in AD Patients
Background: Stress, which mediates anxiety, worsens skin symptoms in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). The contribution of anxiety to immune dysfunction, which plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of AD, requires clarification.
Objectives: To examine the relationship between anxiety and atopy-relevant immune function in AD.
Methods: Eighty-five patients with AD and 58 normal individuals without a history of allergic disorders were enrolled in this study. To assess anxiety, the statetrait anxiety inventory was completed for both groups. In the AD group, measurements were made of SCORAD scores, serum IgE levels, itching (visual analogue scale), blood eosinophil count and T-helper (Th) 1/Th2 ratio in the peripheral blood.
Results: Anxiety was significantly higher among the subjects with AD than the normal subjects, and trait anxiety (TA) was higher than state anxiety (SA) in the AD group. Serum total IgE levels were correlated positively with TA and the TA/SA ratio and inversely with SA, and the Th1/Th2 ratio was correlated inversely with TA and the TA/SA ratio.
Conclusions: The patients with AD had higher anxiety levels than normal individuals, and those with a stronger perception of TA than SA showed enhanced serum IgE synthesis and Th2 shifting.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronically relapsing pruritic skin disorder, affecting 10–20% of young people worldwide. Both children and adults with AD have higher anxiety levels than those without, and psychotherapy improves not only the psychological but also the dermatological condition. It is well known that emotional and psychological stresses bring on attacks or exacerbate skin symptoms in daily settings. Although the reason why stress influences skin conditions is not fully understood, recent studies have revealed that it both mediates anxiety and affects immune function. As the pathogenesis of AD has an immunological basis, as exemplified by increased serum IgE levels and blood eosinophilia, persistent immune modulation induced by everyday stressors might be closely related to symptomatic episodes in patients with AD. The present study was designed to clarify the link between anxiety and atopy-relevant immune function in patients with AD. M
Background: Stress, which mediates anxiety, worsens skin symptoms in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). The contribution of anxiety to immune dysfunction, which plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of AD, requires clarification.
Objectives: To examine the relationship between anxiety and atopy-relevant immune function in AD.
Methods: Eighty-five patients with AD and 58 normal individuals without a history of allergic disorders were enrolled in this study. To assess anxiety, the statetrait anxiety inventory was completed for both groups. In the AD group, measurements were made of SCORAD scores, serum IgE levels, itching (visual analogue scale), blood eosinophil count and T-helper (Th) 1/Th2 ratio in the peripheral blood.
Results: Anxiety was significantly higher among the subjects with AD than the normal subjects, and trait anxiety (TA) was higher than state anxiety (SA) in the AD group. Serum total IgE levels were correlated positively with TA and the TA/SA ratio and inversely with SA, and the Th1/Th2 ratio was correlated inversely with TA and the TA/SA ratio.
Conclusions: The patients with AD had higher anxiety levels than normal individuals, and those with a stronger perception of TA than SA showed enhanced serum IgE synthesis and Th2 shifting.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronically relapsing pruritic skin disorder, affecting 10–20% of young people worldwide. Both children and adults with AD have higher anxiety levels than those without, and psychotherapy improves not only the psychological but also the dermatological condition. It is well known that emotional and psychological stresses bring on attacks or exacerbate skin symptoms in daily settings. Although the reason why stress influences skin conditions is not fully understood, recent studies have revealed that it both mediates anxiety and affects immune function. As the pathogenesis of AD has an immunological basis, as exemplified by increased serum IgE levels and blood eosinophilia, persistent immune modulation induced by everyday stressors might be closely related to symptomatic episodes in patients with AD. The present study was designed to clarify the link between anxiety and atopy-relevant immune function in patients with AD. M
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