Atopic dermatitis (AD) represents a widespread chronic skin disease associated with different atopic disorders and allergies. These associations, similar to overall AD pathophysiology, are entangled, multifactorial and they are yet to be clarified. IgE and non IgE mediated pathomechanisms appear to be implicated in AD. Allergens constitute key aspects in AD pathogenesis, as they may serve as trigger factors. This review emphasizes mainly house dust mites (HDM), as they are likely the most relevant airborne allergen for AD. Here we review in a concise form the mite allergens, the role of molecular diagnosis and the treatment strategies for HDM. Strategies of avoiding allergens, with a few exceptions, are not enough to control children's AD; recent studies show HDM avoidance procedures in diagnosed AD are insufficient. Regardless, some guidelines acknowledge the benefit of mattress and pillow covers in patients with dust mite sensitization that are unresponsive to optimal AD management. Most clinical trials investigating allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) as a potential treatment for AD were done with adult patients; a scarce number of studies looked into the efficacy of AIT as a treatment option in children suffering from AD, with conflicting data among them. One of the most feasible of these studies showed significant improvement of AD outcomes only in the mild/moderate group, but not in the severe group. Uncontrolled studies are hard to interpret, considering the natural history of remitting and relapsing of AD, in many of the patients, without clinical interventions. More AIT studies, especially pediatric studies, are required in order to either prove the reproducibility of positive results or to deny its effectiveness.
Keywords: allergen-specific immunotherapy; atopic dermatitis; avoidance strategies; mite allergens; molecular allergology.
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