Do Mutations in the Filaggrin Gene Have Clinical Importance for the Treatment Outcome in Atopic Dermatitis?

Atopic dermatitis is a common disease which affects about one million people in Finland at some stage of their life. In atopic dermatitis we see a superficial inflammation of the skin and a defect in skin barrier function. The filaggrin protein plays a central role in the skin barrier function and studies indicate that about 30% of patients with atopic dermatitis have a mutation in the filaggrin gene. The aim of the study is to investigate whether a mutation in the filaggrin gene affects the clinical treatment outcome in patients with atopic dermatitis. If a mutation predisposes to a worse response to treatment, this could be examined and those patients with the mutation could be given extra treatment support for their atopic dermatitis. The prevalence of filaggrin mutation in the Finnish non-atopic population is studied in the control group.