House dust mites and atopic dermatitis. A case-control study on the significance of house dust mites as etiologic allergens in atopic dermatitis.

The occurrence of house dust mites was measured in homes of 24 patients with atopic dermatitis, 30 patients with mite-sensitive asthma and 32 patients with asthma not related to house dust mites. Patients with mite-positive asthma and patients with atopic dermatitis had significantly higher exposure to house dust mites compared with patients with mite-negative asthma. For atopic dermatitis the higher exposure to house dust mites corresponded to a relative risk of 4.7 and a clear dose-response relationship was demonstrated between exposure and risk of disease in the subgroups of patients with atopic dermatitis. The present epidemiologic results support the idea that house dust mites may be an etiologic factor in a proportion of adult patients with atopic dermatitis.