Korean J Dermatol.  2016 Sep;54(8):601-607.

A Study of an Autologous Serum Skin Test in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: Relationship between the Autologous Serum Skin Test and Total Serum IgE Levels, Disease Severity, Disease Duration, and Multiple Allergen Simultaneous Test (MAST) Results in Atop

• Kim DH
• Koo DW
• Lee JS
• Jung KE

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The autologous serum skin test (ASST) is a simple test for detecting functional circulating autoantibodies. In addition, immunoglobulin E (IgE) autoreactivity seems to play a role in the pathogenesis and disease course of atopic dermatitis (AD).
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine whether the ASST results were positive in AD patients and to find the relationship between ASST and total serum IgE levels, disease severity, disease duration, and multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST) results in AD.
METHODS
Fifty-two patients with AD who underwent ASST were included in this study. We analyzed total serum IgE concentrations, severity, duration of disease, and allergen frequencies between the ASST-positive and -negative groups. Disease severity was evaluated using the Rajka and Langeland eczema severity score.
RESULTS
ASST results were positive in 34.0% (17/52) of patients, and the positivity rates of ASST in IgE-mediated AD patients was 39.0% (16/41), which was significantly higher than in non-IgE-mediated AD patients. Additionally, IgE-mediated AD patients with positive ASST results showed greater disease severity, longer disease duration, and a greater number of allergens than ASST-negative patients (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
This is the first study to evaluate the results of ASST in patients with AD. According to our results, ASST would be a useful test in AD and could be related to autoimmunity, severity, and disease course of AD, especially in IgE-mediated AD. Further studies with more patients are needed to confirm these findings.

Keyword

Atopic dermatitis; Autologous serum skin test; Multiple allergen simultaneous test; Total IgE

MeSH Terms

Allergens
Autoantibodies
Autoimmunity
Dermatitis, Atopic*
Eczema
Humans
Immunoglobulin E*
Immunoglobulins
Skin Tests*
Skin*
Allergens
Autoantibodies
Immunoglobulin E
Immunoglobulins