Does allergen-specific immunotherapy represent a therapeutic option for patients with atopic dermatitis?

House dust mite (HDM) allergens are perennial indoor allergens, which may play a role as allergic trigger factors in atopic dermatitis (AD). Facilitated by their high enzymatic activity, HDM allergens are capable of penetrating the impaired epidermal skin barrier in patients with AD, gaining access to immune cells. In this way, HDM allergens induce both allergic reactions of the immediate type and allergic reactions of the delayed type, which contribute to impairment of AD. Because allergen reduction achieved by encasing strategies does not always lead to significant improvement of clinical symptoms, specific immunotherapy (SIT) might represent an attractive therapeutic option for long-time treatment of this subgroup of patients with AD. However, systematic studies on the effectiveness of SIT in patients with AD are rare. Furthermore, data on the immunologic changes induced by SIT in patients with AD are not well studied. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathogenic impact of HDM allergens as an example for aeroallergens on the course of AD. In addition, we discuss prophylactic and therapeutic options for the treatment of HDM allergy in patients with AD, including a summary of the current data available on SIT as a potential therapeutic option for patients with AD.

Key words: Allergy, atopic dermatitis, house dust mite, allergen specific immunotherapy

Abbreviations used: AD, Atopic dermatitis, HDM, House dust mite, PAR, Proteinase-activated receptor, SIT, Specific immunotherapy