| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of this study was to analyse the association of exogenous and endogenous factors with childhood atopic dermatitis (AD), to assess the impact of the disease on the patient's and the patient's family's quality of life, to investigate the impact of the disease on patients' behavioural difficulties, and to analyse the phenomenon of corticophobia in the parents of children with AD. The results confirmed that AD patients have a higher prevalence of food allergies and rhinoconjunctivitis in their families, and that AD patients' skin is more affected by external factors. Among the endogenous factors studied, serum cortisol levels were lower and total IgE was higher in the AD group compared to the control group of healthy children, and total IgE and eosinophil counts were associated with the severity of AD. AD has also been shown to have a moderate negative impact on the quality of life of affected children and their families, directly related to the severity of the disease. Children with AD (aged 6 to 18 years) have higher scores on behavioural severity scales compared to healthy children, and children with severe AD experience more sleep disturbances and more intense itching. Parents of children with AD were also found to be at moderate risk of corticophobia. It is related to the diagnosis itself, but not to the respondents' education, gender, severity of AD, previous steroid use and participation in special education programmes or lectures. This is the first study in Lithuania on the behavioural difficulties experienced by children with AD, as well as valuable insights from the results of laboratory studies on the relationship of AD with other body systems. |
