SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2007

December 10, 2007

Nature versus Nurture: The Impact of Each on the Development of Atopic Dermatitis

Summary
Danish investigators utilized a birth cohort of 11,515 pairs of twins via the Danish Twin Registry. The birth cohorts were enrolled from 1953 to 1982. The main object of the study was to establish the relative roles of inheritance verus environment related to the impact on the development of atopic dermatitis. The overall lifetime prevalence of atopic dermatitis in this cohort was 7.3%. A co-twin of an affected identical twin had a sevenfold increased risk of developing atopic dermatitis. If the twins were fraternal, this risk was threefold (the risk was compared with that of the general population). Genes contributing to the susceptibility of atopic dermatitis were the same in both male and female subjects.

Editor's Comments
The authors found that genes accounted for 82%, and non-shared environmental factors accounted for 18% of the individual's susceptibility to develop this condition.

Reference
Thomsen SF, et al. Importance of genetic factors in the etiology of atopic dermatitis: a twin study.

 

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