title: [Atopic dermatitis: pathophysiology update].
abstract: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is very common in industrialized countries, where it affects 15% to 30% of children and 2% to 10% of adults. AD has a complex determinism, combining environmental influences and genetic predisposition, hitherto dominated by an immunological perspective, particularly after the discovery of associated high IgE serum levels. DA is a possible mode of onset of asthma, allergic rhinitis and food allergies, resulting in the poorly understood "atopic march". The discovery of mutations in the filaggrin gene, a key protein for stratum corneum maturation, have refocused attention on the skin and operated a Copernican revolution in our understanding of this group of disorders. AD has become a prototype of inflammatory epithelial barrier diseases. The epidermal barrier has three major elements: the stratum corneum, which provides an air-liquid barrier, tight junctions in the granular layer (liquid-liquid barrier), and Langerhans cells that capture antigens (immunological barrier). Better knowledge of the molecular events underlying epidermal barrier function and its dysfunction in AD should lead to ways of preventing and eventually curing this group of disorders.
authors.affiliation: Dermatologie et dermatologie pédiatrique, Centre de référence pour les maladies rares de la peau, CHU de Bordeaux, Inserm U1035, Place Amélie Raba-Léon, 33076 Bordeaux. alain.taieb@chu-bordeaux.fr
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taieb
mesh_terms: D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D006801:Humans