The assessment of skin sebum and moisture content of infants with atopic dermatitis

BACKGROUND/AIM: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder characterized by dry skin, pruritus and eczematous lesions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the skin moisture and sebum content of the infants with AD and its relationship between the disease severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this cross-sectional and case-control study we included 49 infants with AD aged between 2 and 24 months and 34 healthy infants with the same age and sex as a control group. Skin moisture and sebum content were measured by the bio-impedance method and recorded. Skin prick tests, total IgE levels and food-specific (milk, egg) IgE levels were performed. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of mean skin moisture and sebum content percentage (P < 0.001, both). The mean skin moisture and sebum content were correlated with CRP in patients with AD (P < 0.01, r = –1.00, both), but we did not find any correlation between these parameters with the disease severity. CONCLUSION: We found that skin moisture and sebum content were low even in unaffected areas in AD. The skin structure of these patients may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease.