Frequencies of circulating allergen-specific T cells temporally associate with longitudinal changes in severity of cutaneous atopic disease

Abstract

Increased levels of allergen-specific T-cells have been documented in the peripheral blood of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) compared with nonatopic controls. However, little is known about how these relate to disease severity. This study sought to examine if frequencies of circulating allergen-specific T cells correlate with changes in clinical disease severity in a cohort of seven adults with AD who were positive for human leucocyte antigen DRB1*1501. We found that frequencies of allergen-specific CD4+ T cells across the study group were not significantly (P > 0.05) associated with clinical disease severity; however, longitudinal changes within an individual did correlate significantly (P < 0.01) with changes in disease severity. These findings support a role for allergen-specific T-cells in disease pathogenesis. © 2010 British Association of Dermatologists.