Assessment of Skin Barrier in Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

The skin barrier is a complex protective system that helps maintain many essential functions, including immunology. Atopic Dermatitis (AD) or Atopic Eczema (AE) is a chronic, relapsing, complex inflammatory dermatosis that affects both children and adults, in which the skin’s protective role is disturbed by factors such as genetic predisposition, epidermal barrier disruption, immune regulation abnormalities, and environmental influences. The objective of this study is to assess the severity of barrier disruption in the Skin and to investigate the relationship between moisture level and severity of lesions in patients with Atopic Dermatitis. This cross-sectional analytical study included 30 patients with Atopic Dermatitis (new and known cases) of both genders, aged 18 to 40 years, at the Department of Dermatology, Stanley Medical College Hospital. Examination of Skin with the help of SCORAD score assessment. Digital Moisturometer (To measure the Moisture level of skin by utilizing Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA)) was done and the results were recorded.The participants are categorized as Dry skin and Normal skin based on the Moisture score and categorized as Moderate Atopic Dermatitis and Severe Atopic Dermatitis based on SCORAD score. Among participants with Dry skin, 43.8% had a moderate SCORAD score, while 85.7% had a severe SCORAD score. Among participants with Normal skin, 56.3% had a moderate SCORAD score, while only 14.5% had a severe SCORAD score. Among participants with Normal skin, 14.5% had a severe SCORAD score. The P value is found to be significant (0.017). This research describes the statistically significant relationship between skin moisture level and Atopic Dermatitis severity. This can prove to help investigate interventions to control the barrier integrity to enhance the Quality of life in patients with Atopic Dermatitis.