Characteristics of endothelial dysfunction in patients with atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Introduction. Skin lesions in atopic dermatitis (AD) are apparently associated with vascular changes, as blood vessels provide pathways for the transport of immune cells. The aim of the study: study of the state of endothelial dysfunction in patients with atopic dermatitis. Materials and methods. 70 patients with AD were examined. Groups were formed depending on the SСORAD index (I subgroup – with SСORAD index up to 20 points, II – with SСORAD index 20-40 points, III subgroup – with SСORAD index from 40 and above points). Indicators of endothelial dysfunction of VEGF and VCAM-1 in blood serum were determined by the immunoenzymatic method. Research results and their discussion. A significant percentage of deviations from the reference interval of both the level of VEGF (52 (74.3%) examined) and VCAM-1 (32 (45.7%) examined) in blood serum among AD patients was established. There were 4.6 times more people of the III subgroup with an elevated level of VEGF in blood serum than patients with a reference value (p˂0.001) and 1.52 times more than among patients of the I subgroup (p=0.0121). Among the patients of the I, only the reference values of the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were found. Among individuals of the III subgroup with an elevated level of VCAM-1 was 1.9 times more than with its reference value (p=0.016). It was established that the level of VEGF in blood serum in patients of the III was 1.4 times higher compared to the level in patients of the II and 1.68 times higher than in patients of the I. Similar changes were found in the level of VCAM-1 in blood serum in AD patients. The highest level of VCAM-1 was found in patients of the III subgroup, which was 2.2 times higher than that in the II and 5.4 times in the I subgroups. In patients with AD with a minimum duration of the disease (1 year), the level of VEGF in blood serum was within the reference values. Probably the highest value of this indicator was noted in patients with a long course of the disease (16 and more years), (р˂0.05). Conclusions. A feature of atopic dermatitis is the development of endothelial dysfunction, namely due to an increase in the level of endothelial vasoactive factors VEGF, VCAM-1 (p<0.01). Violation of endothelial function in AD correlates with the severity of the disease (p<0.05). The increase in VEGF content is associated with the duration of AD (p<0.05).