Table 1.
Clinical characteristics and epidermal barrier parameters of the four study groups.
| Relative (Absolute) Frequency, Median [1., 3. Quartile] or Mean ± 1 SD | AD (n = 9) |
AP (n = 7) |
PN (n = 9) |
Control (n = 10) |
p * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at disease onset (years) | 11 [5.5, 21] | 28 [6, 40] | 43 [30, 49.5] | - | 0.016 |
| Pollen allergy (%) | 78 (7) | 14 (1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | <0.001 |
| Allergic asthma (%) | 33 (3) | 71 (5) | 0 (0) | 30 (3) | 0.025 |
| Positive family history for atopic diseases (%) | 78 (7) | 86 (6) | 22 (2) | 50 (5) | 0.035 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.4 [20.2, 26] | 28.6 [27.1, 34.9] | 30.2 [26.7, 49.9] | 23.5 [20, 25.2] | <0.0001 |
| Daily skin care (%) | 56 (5) | 43 (3) | 33 (3) | 0 (0) | 0.875 |
| SCORAD (points) | 39 ± 12.5 | 32.4 ± 17.6 | 37.3 ± 5.7 | 0.3 ± 0.9 | 0.0001 |
| Itch intensity (points) | 2.5 ± 2.5 | 3.1 ± 2.7 | 3.7 ± 3.2 | 0.2 ± 0.4 | 0.018 |
| DLQI (points) | 7 ± 4.1 | 9.1 ± 8.6 | 10.6 ± 7.8 | 0.1 ± 0.3 | 0.003 |
| Xerosis (points) | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 0.3 ± 0.5 | 0.4 ± 0.7 | 0.1 ± 0.3 | 0.001 |
| Hydration L (“arbitrary units”) | 18.7 [15.7, 27.4] | 27.3 [20, 40.3] | 17 [8.6, 20.8] | - | 0.13 |
| Hydration NL (“arbitrary units”) | 26.3 [22.3, 3.4] | 37 [24, 46.7] | 28.7 [21.2, 38.2] | 44.9 [33.2, 51.1] | 0.085 |
| TEWL L (g/hm2) | 22.1 [17.2, 37.7] | 18.6 [10.8, 44.4] | 14.7 [11.1, 24] | - | 0.122 |
| TEWL NL (g/hm2) | 7.3 [6.7, 13.6] | 7.1 [6.8, 13] | 6.6 [4.8, 7.2] | 6.7 [6, 9.7] | 0.403 |
| Epidermal thickness L (points) | 2.7 ± 0.4 | 2.3 ± 1.1 | 2.5 ± 0.6 | - | 0.474 |
| Epidermal thickness NL (points) | 0.3 ± 0.6 | 0 ± 0 | 0 ± 0 | 0.1 ± 0.2 | 0.109 |
| Inflammation L (points) | 2.2 ± 0.7 | 2.2 ± 1.1 | 2.4 ± 0.7 | - | 0.849 |
| Inflammation NL (points) | 0.2 ± 0.4 | 0 ± 0 | 0 ± 0 | 0 ± 0 | 0.057 |
| Hyperkeratosis L (points) | 2.6 ± 0.5 | 2.5 ± 1.2 | 2.5 ± 0.7 | - | <0.001 |
| Hyperkeratosis NL (points) | 1.0 ± 0.5 | 0 ± 0 | 0 ± 0 | 0.4 ± 0.5 | <0.001 |
| Hypergranulosis L (points) | 1.9 ± 0.8 | 1.9 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.3 | - | 0.001 |
| Hypergranulosis NL (points) | 0.3 ± 0.5 | 0 ± 0 | 0 ± 0 | 0.2 ± 0.4 | 0.184 |
| Filaggrin L (points) | −0.6 ± 0.5 | −0.5 ± 0.4 | −0.7 ± 0.4 | - | 0.735 |
| Filaggrin NL (points) | −0.2 ± 0.4 | 0 ± 0 | −0.1 ± 0.2 | 0 ± 0 | 0.329 |
| Loricrin L (points) | 0.8 ± 0.7 | 1.7 ± 0.8 | 1.1 ± 1.2 | - | 0.257 |
| Loricrin NL (points) | 0.6 ± 0.4 | 0 ± 0 | 0.1 ± 0.2 | −0.1 ± 0.3 | <0.001 |
| Involucrin L (points) | 2.4 ± 0.5 | 2.5 ± 0.4 | 2.9 ± 0.2 | - | 0.06 |
| Involucrin NL (points) | 1.6 ± 0.3 | 1.1 ± 0.9 | 0.9 ± 0.8 | 0.4 ± 0.5 | 0.005 |
| nICLL L (nm/1.000 nm2) | 48.3 [43.5, 62.5] | 101 [97, 153] | 176 [139, 201.5] | - | <0.001 |
| nICLL NL (nm/1.000 nm2) | 57 [52.5, 76] | 178 [164, 183] | 186 [168.5, 195] | 205 [200, 212] | <0.001 |
* Overall p values from χ2 test (pollen allergy, allergic asthma, positive family history for atopic diseases, daily skincare) or one-way ANOVA for normally distributed variables (SCORAD, Itch intensity, DLQI, Xerosis, Epidermal thickness L and NL, Inflammation L and NL, Hyperkeratosis L and NL, Hypergranulosis L and NL, Filaggrin L and NL, Loricrin L and NL, Involucrin L and NL) and the Kruskal-Wallis test for non-normally distributed variables (Age at disease onset, BMI, Hydration L and NL, TEWL L and NL, nICLL L and NL); AD: classic atopic dermatitis; AP: atopic prurigo; PN: non-atopic prurigo nodularis; L: lesional; NL: non-lesional; SCORAD: severity scoring of atopic dermatitis; DLQI: dermatology life quality index; TEWL: transepidermal water loss; nICLL: normalized intercellular lipid lamellae.