Oral Selenium in the treatment of refractory severe Atopic dermatitis: Report of 4 cases

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory and pruritic skin disease with a prevalence of 10-20%. Recent studies suggested the effect of selenium on immunoregulation in AD. In this study we report 4 cases of atopic dermatitis according to Hafniin and Rajka criteria. Serum selenium levels were increased and serum total IgE were decreased in all patients. These results show that selenium is in the cells, therefore selenium could be a suitable and effective treatment. Further studies are required with increased subjects, different dosages and treatment duration to reach more definite results.