ABSTRACT
Filaggrin plays a key role in the barrier function of the skin. Mutations in the gene encoding profilaggrin/filaggrin, FLG, are a predisposing factor for atopic dermatitis (AD). Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine/ C-C motif chemokine ligand 17 (TARC/CCL17) along with immunoglobulin (Ig) E, are considered reliable serum markers of Th2-dominant inflammation. We performed analyses of association between FLG mutation status and the serum levels of IgE, TARC, and history in patients with AD. This study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan. Twenty-eight patients (14 males, 14 females;age range 3–45 y) with AD, who visited the out-patient clinic of dermatology, Hirosaki University Hospital, were included. Of the 28 AD patients, 5 were carriers of 1 of 10 FLG mutations. Thus, the incidence rate was 17.9%. FLG mutations were associated with putative hay fever (odds ratio = 10 [95% CI 1.15–86.89]), however, were not associated with asthma (odds ratio = 5.5 [95% CI 0.28–107.16]). As for the aggravated COVID-19 patient, it was confirmed that a serum TARC level showed a low value. Although there is not the statistical significant difference between IgE, TARC, and FLG mutations, we found an association between FLG mutation positivity and putative hay fever in AD patients. Our study is limited by the small sample size, nevertheless, the findings show a significant association between FLG mutations and hay fever and provide evidence for the role of FLG mutations in the pathogenesis of hay fever.