|
| |
Atopy |
| |
Atopy (Greek - placelessness, not allocatable) or atopic syndrome is the clustering of eczema (atopic dermatitis), allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma in certain individuals. There appears to be a strong hereditary component, although environmental factors have also been implicated.
The individual components are all caused at least in part by allergy (type I hypersensitivity reactions). These responses appear in the contact after the body was exposed to different allergens, for example specific kinds of food, pollen, dander and insect venoms. Although atopy has various definitions, most consistently it is defined by the presence of elevated levels of total and allergen-specific IgE in the serum of patient, leading to positive skin-prick tests to common allergens.
Some physical attributes have been associated with atopic syndrome, although the real relationship is poorly understood:
- A skin fold under the eyes termed "Denny-Morgan folds";
- A collection of short hairs under the fringe;
- Cracks in the skin under the earlobe;
- It is more common in ginger-haired people.
This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
View live article
|
|
