title: Clinical characteristics of Korean patients with filaggrin-related atopic dermatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Filaggrin is a key protein involved in skin barrier function. Mutations in the gene encoding filaggrin (FLG) have been identified as the cause of ichthyosis vulgaris and have been shown to be major predisposing factors for atopic dermatitis (AD).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigative the clinical characteristics of patients with AD with FLG mutations and determine the differences between patients with AD with and without FLG mutations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified FLG mutations in patients with AD by complete sequencing and SNaPshot methods, and then analysed the data on clinical characteristics from questionnaire responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that earlier age of AD onset (P < 0.05), tendency to respiratory atopy (P = 0.03), more severe clinical characteristics of AD (higher Eczema Area and Severity Index, P = 0.02) and decrease in skin hydration (P = 0.04) were associated with FLG-related AD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrate that FLG mutations are indicators of a poor prognosis in AD, and are predisposing factors that exist in early infancy and persist into adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seok
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Seo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D004485:Eczema / Q000235:genetics; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016112:Ichthyosis Vulgaris / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D007223:Infant; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C000717249:FLG protein, human; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins