Association of Serum IgE and Peripheral Eosinophilia with Seborrheic Dermatitis: Evidence from a Case-Control Study

It is thought that some shared mechanisms may play a role in the pathophysiology of seborrheic dermatitis (SD) and atopic conditions, both of which are chronic, inflammatory, and recurrent in nature.

This study aimed to investigate the presence of atopic diseases in SD patients without atopic dermatitis or other inflammatory skin disorders and to assess their serum IgE levels and peripheral eosinophil values as a marker of atopy.

This prospective cross-sectional study included 83 SD patients and 68 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

There were no significant differences between the SD patients and the healthy control group regarding sex distribution (P=0.507) or mean age (P=0.436). No significant difference was observed between SD and control groups in terms of accompanying rhinitis, conjunctivitis, or asthma (P=0.307, P=0.487, and P=0.370, respectively). The median serum IgE levels were significantly higher in SD patients than in controls (123.1vs. 46.7; P=0.001) No significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of eosinophil percentage or absolute eosinophil count (P=0.678 and P=0.827, respectively). SD patients with concomitant rhinitis had significantly higher IgE levels than those without rhinitis (P=0.048).

In this study, total serum IgE levels were significantly higher in SD patients than in healthy controls, suggesting that allergens and hypersensitivity responses may play a greater role in the pathogenesis of SD than previously thought.