Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Atopic Dermatitis Patients in Comparison with the Control Group in Kerman

Abstract

Background: Atopic dermatitis is the most common chronic inflammatory dermatitis, due to immunological disorders. Patients with atopic dermatitis are prone to infectious diseases including bacterial infections. On the other hand, atopy may be protective against helminthes parasites. The objective of this study was to compare the frequency and clinical presentations of cutaneous leishmaniasis in atopic dermatitis patients with the control group in an outpatient clinic in Kerman.Methods: This was a case – control study done on 459 patients with atopic dermatitis, who were diagnosed based on Hanifin & Rajka criteria and 400 healthy subjects without immunosuppression as our control group. The frequency of leishmaniasis was investigated in both groups according to age, gender and residential area.Results: Among 459 atopic dermatitis patients, 232 were female and 227 were male. Control group consisted of 232 males and 168 females. The mean age of the atopic dermatitis patients and the controls was 9.2 and 13.3 years, respectively (p0.05%). There was no statistically significant difference in clinical presentations of leishmaniasis between two groups.Conclusion: In this study there was no significant relationship between leishmaniasis and atopic dermatitis. This finding can be due to the small sample size or the difference between case and control groups regarding age.