The influence of pregnancy and menstruation on the deterioration of atopic dermatitis symptoms.

BACKGROUND Female patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) often experience cutaneous deterioration associated with their pregnancy or menstrual cycle. OBJECTIVE We wanted to determine the prevalence of symptom aggravation as related to pregnancy and the menstrual cycle in female patients with AD. METHODS One hundred female patients with AD were included in the study and interviews were performed. The total IgE level and the Eczema Area and Severity Index score of the patients were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Ninety seven patients replied the questionnaire, and among them, 23 patients had completed at least 1 pregnancy. Among the 23 women who experienced pregnancy, 14 (61%) had noticed deterioration of their clinical symptoms during pregnancy. Of the 97 females, 31 (32%) patients had noticed deterioration of their AD as related to their menstrual cycle. For the patients who were sub-grouped as the intrinsic type of AD, the prevalence of symptom aggravation as related to pregnancy was significantly higher as compared to that of the extrinsic type of AD patients (p=0.048). CONCLUSION Of the 97 patients, 45 (46%) females answered that they have experienced deterioration of AD during pregnancy or in relation to their menstrual cycle, and this suggests the relation of a hormonal influence on the clinical manifestations of AD.