title: IL-31 significantly correlates with disease activity and Th2 cytokine levels in children with atopic dermatitis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Hannover Medical School, Ricklinger Strasse 5, Hannover, Germany. Raap.Ulrike@mh-hannover.de
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Raap
authors.forename: Sigo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weißmantel
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gehring
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapp
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fölster-Holst
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C502187:IL31 protein, human; D018793:Interleukin-13; D007378:Interleukins; D015847:Interleukin-4