Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin disease characterized by a relapsing course and typical clinical manifestation with itchy, eczematous lesions. The majority of AD patients reveals elevated IgE serum levels (> 100kU / L), which classifies the disease as extrinsic AD. Mostly, the IgE is directed against aeroallergens like pollen and house dust mite (HDM). These allergens may contribute pronouncedly to the relapsing character of the disease.~Of note, it was already shown in the 1920s that avoiding aeroallergens by sleeping in an allergen-free chamber has a positive influence not only on the symptoms of asthma but also on the skin condition in AD patients. However, a recent study was the first showing that challenge chamber exposure to airborne grass pollen allergens can cause a clinical worsening of the skin condition in sensitized AD patients. These standardized settings in the Fraunhofer Allergen Challenge Chamber can conduce as a model for the investigation of the impact on other allergens on AD patients.~For the perennial allergen HDM, Sager et al. investigated the epicutaneous application of HDM allergens in sensitized AD patients. It led to an aggravation of the eczematous lesions through a T-cell-mediated reaction. The binding of the HDM allergen to specific IgE-Fc receptors on Langerhans cells leads to the proliferation of specific T cells in the skin and a proinflammatory signaling. Until now, however, airborne HDM allergen exposure has not been shown to cause aggravation of AD in any controlled setting. This study aims to answer the question of the extent to which standardized exposure of AD patients with HDM has an impact on objective, subjective and in vitro disease parameters.
The present study investigates the reaction of the skin upon exposure to house dust mite (HDM) in patients with atopic dermatitis who have antibodies against HDM in the blood. A further aim is to assess nasal symptoms after exposure to HDM in an allergen challenge chamber and compare the results with data from previous studies.