TY - JOUR
T1 - Null mutations in the filaggrin gene (FLG) determine major susceptibility to early-onset atopic dermatitis that persists into adulthood
AU - Barker, Jonathan N.W.N.
AU - Palmer, Colin N.A.
AU - Zhao, Yiwei
AU - Liao, Haihui
AU - Hull, Peter R.
AU - Lee, Simon P.
AU - Allen, Michael H.
AU - Meggitt, Simon J.
AU - Reynolds, Nicholas J.
AU - Trembath, Richard C.
AU - McLean, W. H.Irwin
PY - 2007/3
Y1 - 2007/3
N2 - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common disease with a complex etiology in childhood and adult life. A significant proportion of childhood AD is transient, but in many cases it persists into adulthood. We have recently shown that null mutations in the filaggrin gene (FLG) are an important predisposing factor for childhood eczema and eczema-associated asthma, but persistence to adulthood has not been analyzed. Here we studied a cohort of adult patients with persistent AD, which had been present since early childhood. In this cohort, the combined allele frequency of the two common FLGnull variants was 0.270 (cf. population frequency 0.046). This represents an odds ratio of 7.7 with 95% confidence interval of 5.3-10.9 and a χ2 P-value of 1.7-53. Our data conclusively demonstrate that identification of FLGnull alleles is an indicator of a poor prognosis in AD, predisposing to a form of eczema that starts in early infancy and persists into adulthood. This study helps to further define the nature of the AD phenotype associated with FLG null alleles.
AB - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common disease with a complex etiology in childhood and adult life. A significant proportion of childhood AD is transient, but in many cases it persists into adulthood. We have recently shown that null mutations in the filaggrin gene (FLG) are an important predisposing factor for childhood eczema and eczema-associated asthma, but persistence to adulthood has not been analyzed. Here we studied a cohort of adult patients with persistent AD, which had been present since early childhood. In this cohort, the combined allele frequency of the two common FLGnull variants was 0.270 (cf. population frequency 0.046). This represents an odds ratio of 7.7 with 95% confidence interval of 5.3-10.9 and a χ2 P-value of 1.7-53. Our data conclusively demonstrate that identification of FLGnull alleles is an indicator of a poor prognosis in AD, predisposing to a form of eczema that starts in early infancy and persists into adulthood. This study helps to further define the nature of the AD phenotype associated with FLG null alleles.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33847029992&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/sj.jid.5700587
DO - 10.1038/sj.jid.5700587
M3 - Article
C2 - 16990802
AN - SCOPUS:33847029992
SN - 0022-202X
VL - 127
SP - 564
EP - 567
JO - Journal of Investigative Dermatology
JF - Journal of Investigative Dermatology
IS - 3
ER -