Atopy Case Study

History of Present Illness: Ms. Johnson is a very pleasant 66-year-old woman who was previously evaluated in this office by Elvira Aguila, MD for the diagnosis of asthma. She was last seen in January 2015. She states that overall, she has done well. However, over the last two to three weeks, she has noticed increasing shortness of breath as well as productive cough, rhinorrhea and postnasal drip. She states that she has been using her rescue inhaler above and beyond what is normal for her up to 10 times a day yesterday and she states that she has had some improvement in her symptoms with her short acting bronchodilator. She denies any fevers or chills.

Atopic eczema is a skin condition that can be in remission and can flare up because of different factors. The skin condition is known for its distinct characteristics, such as red, itchy skin. Although it is mostly common in children, it can occur at any age. Over the years, there has been growing interest in different strategies to prevent and manage atopic eczema. Each person is different in the way their condition flares, and most of the time has been treated with topical calcineurin inhibitors and topical corticosteroids.

Babies and young children will have gentle skin and this needs to be regularly cared for.

Atopy is defined as an inherited tendency to produce immunoglobulin E antibodies in response to common environmental proteins such as pollen, house dust mites, and food allergens. Atopic dermatitis affects about one-fifth of all individuals during their lifetime, but the prevalence varies throughout the world. Around 50 percent of patients with atopic dermatitis will develop symptoms within their first year of life, and probably 95 percent experience an onset below five years of age. A child with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis have 50 percent of risk of developing asthma and 75 percent of risk of developing hay fever. A typical patient with atopic dermatitis will present with an early onset of itchy eczema localized at sites such as the flexures of the elbows and knees. The skin lesion in atopic dermatitis is not differ from other eczemas such as contact eczema. In its acute form, eczema is characterized by a lively red infiltrate with edema, vesicles, oozing, and crusting. Whereas in the subacute and chronic form, lichenification, excoriations, papules, and nodules are noted (Thomsen,

Having a family history of skin rashes, reactions to foods, skin prick tests and total serum IgE levels determined the mother and the father atopic status. After reviewing table 2, it appears that for gestational age and birth weight of infants who have an atopic background are at higher risk of developing eczema. Non-atopic parents can also have infants at risk for developing eczema. Non-atopic parents can reduce the risk of their infants developing eczema by not feeding infants solid foods at least until 10 weeks post-term which leads me to the feeding practices for

Doctors from The Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital and the medical faculty of Charles University conducted a study of adverse food reactions and their relation to atopic eczema. Atopic eczema (AE) is one of the earliest types of atopy with the highest incidence during the first three months of life (Bonifazi and Meneghini, 1989). This study was brought forth from the idea that there was only a few population based data in existence. The objective of this study was an assessment of anamnestic data in patients with AE obtained through questionnaires and statistical evaluations.

Amy Parsons is a 16-year-old who states that she has periods when she experiences severe coughing described as dry, hacking, and non-productive. Amy reports shortness of breath and cough after swimming during summers and cough along with occasional wheezing during fall and winter months when she swims competitively. She has no known allergies, no history of surgeries or hospitalizations, and no chronic illnesses. Amy’s physical exam is unremarkable but she reports four to five colds per year. The test results for Amy’s the peak expiratory flow rates (PEF) are as follow: 290/310/320 with her predicted at 453. The following paragraphs will identify and explain the pathophysiology involved in Amy’s case.

A breakdown of the skin barrier and inflammation in the skin that occurs in eczema could play a key role in triggering food sensitivity in babies according to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Eczema and food allergies are connected in a fascinating way. These foods are used in everyday life; eggs, milk, wheat, soy, peanuts, and even fish. The reaction to these food allergies varies from the person but 9 times out of 10 most of the

The tendency to allergic asthma can be inherited. If you or a family member is asthmatic, there's a higher risk that your baby could be affected.

The cause of atopic dermatitis is not known, but the disease seems to result from a combination of genetic (hereditary) and environmental factors

Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is recurring inflammatory skin disease associated with cutaneous hyperreactivity to environmental triggers and a defect in skin barrier function. Clinically, AD is

For almost everything there is to exist in the world, there is an allergy that goes with it. Some could be common, such as a pollen or peanut allergy, and some could be much more rare, such as water allergy. In fact, as many as 30% of adults and 40% of children have some sort of allergy (statistics from aafa.org) and these numbers continue to increase. Some reactions are temporary, while others can be life-threatening and could lead to death. At any point in somebody's life, they could start obtaining new allergies or losing old ones.

The epidermis of the skin has the functions of immune nonspecific defense and water retention due to barrier qualities. Nonspecific defense is innate and defined by the fact that it does not differentiate between foreign matters; it protects against all external materials rapidly (Stanfield, 2013, p. 675). The stratum corneum is the tough superficial layer of the skin, which is bound by non-nucleated cells called corneocytes. Corneocytes are keratin bundles bound by proteins and lipids. Lipids are necessary for the skin to function as a barrier in order to maintain moisture levels in the skin (WHO, 2009). Chronic atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inherited genetic skin disease which typically begins in childhood and is characterized by dry, itchy, and inflamed skin. Genetic defects in the production of filaggrin are the basis of dry skin and a risk factor for developing AD. Histamines produce1 the sensation of itch and are released into the skin as an immune response, triggered by inflammation. AD creates inflammation in the skin by autoimmune abnormalities, even without the presence of a bacteria, virus, or irritant. This chronic disease may be controlled through medical treatment

Sézary syndrome (SS) is a rare erythrodermic and leukemic variant of cutaneous T cell lymphomas (CTCL). SS belongs to the heterogeneous group of extranodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) arising from the malignant proliferation of skin-homing T cells. SS together with mycosis fungoides (MF) are the most common forms of CTCL accounting for around 65% of cases. SS and erythrodermic MF (E-MF), an advanced form of MF has been referred as erythrodermic CTCL (E-CTCL) and if blood involvement is present, the term leukemic CTCL (L-CTCL) has been used. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an important differential diagnosis of SS in adults with erythrodermic dermatitis. Although in majority of cases there are characteristics such as typical predilection sites for AD and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis for SS

The patient is a 39 year-old male with obesity, sleep apnea, allergic rhinitis who presented to primary care physician with elevated liver enzymes incidentally found on routine employee physical. The patient complained of shortness of breath with exertion, chronic mild productive cough, and occasional wheezing. His shortness of breath improved with an inhaled bronchodilator. He reported snoring as a child, and recurrent ear infections for the past 15 years. Patient experienced hives in reaction to penicillin and tetanus. Of note, the patient worked in a steel mill as a maintenance coordinator and was a member of the Hazmat and Fire Rescue team. He reported exposure to smoke at this job, and he occasionally smoked cigars. He denied any family