Atopic dermatitis successfully treated by eradication of Helicobacter pylori

A relationship between allergic diseases and Helicobacter pylori infection has recently been noted. We report a case of atopic dermatitis and H. pylori infection in a 14-year-old girl. She had had widespread diffuse skin erythema with erosions and pigmentation since the age of 3 years. Endoscopically, there was chronic antral gastritis with H. pylori infection and histological eosinophilic infiltration. A high titer of H. pylori-specific IgG was present in serum. She was treated with a proton pump inhibitor (lansoprazole 60 mg), an antibiotic (clarithromycin 800 mg), and plaunotol (a mucosal protective agent, 480 mg) for 2 weeks to eliminate the infection. After 10 days of treatment, erythema and itching were more widespread and vesicle formation was seen on the foot. Generalized skin lesions abated a few days later. After eradication of the bacterium by the treatment, eosinophils decreased from 38.8% to 19.0%, and the clinical signs of atopic dermatitis almost disappeared. Serum gastrin level and the pepsinogen I/II ratio were normalized and histological findings of gastric mucosa showed improvement. H. pylori-specific IgE antibody, analyzed by the Western blot method, gradually decreased with the eradication treatment.