BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is increasing among the elderly. Staphylococcus aureus colonization is one of the most important aggravating factors in AD. OBJECTIVE: This study analyses the clinical features of AD in elderly patients and determines the pathogenic roles of staphylococcal superantigens in AD with low and high total IgE levels. METHODS: S. aureus enterotoxin genes were evaluated using PCR. Additionally, S. aureus-specific IgE levels and peripheral blood lymphocyte profiles were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 44 women and 77 men diagnosed with AD with a mean age of 68.92 ± 6.51 years were evaluated. In 17 (68%) patients with AD and low levels of total IgE, there was a positive correlation between the positive results for enterotoxin B, S. aureus-specific IgE antibodies and Th1 cytokine profiles (Spearman's rank correlation test, r = 0.89, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that AD patients with low total IgE levels differ in immunopathogenesis from AD patients with high circulating levels of total IgE AD.
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Bożek et al. (2011) studied this question.