Samir Salah1, Charles Taieb2, Anne' Laure Demessant1, Marek Haftek3. 1. La Roche-Posay Dermatological Laboratories, 92300 Levallois-Perret, France. 2. European Market Maintenance Assessment, 94120 Fontenay-sous-Bois, France. 3. CNRS UMR5305, Tissue Biology and Therapeutic Engineering Laboratory, LBTI, 69367 Lyon, France.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of allergies increases worldwide. Allergies may increase the risk of skin reactions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of allergies and skin reactions in the adult population, the strength of their relationship, and their impact on the quality of life. METHODS: An online survey was conducted in a representative population of 11,067 adults from China, USA, Brazil, Russia, and France. RESULTS: Overall, 35.6% of respondents reported having allergies, they were predominantly fair-skinned women, and younger than responders reporting no allergy. Among patients reporting allergies, 68.6% declared that their allergy makes their skin reacts. A strong association between allergy and major skin reactions was observed, which were associated with skin discomforts such as itching, burning, and pain. Skin discomforts were associated with an increased risk of quality of life alteration. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifying the prevalence and the association of allergies with skin reactions and discomfort sensations is critical to evaluating the impact on quality of life. Since skin barrier alteration is hypothesized as a risk factor and a route of sensitization for allergy development, the daily use of topical treatments, such as moisturizers, could help prevent allergic skin reactions, discomfort and impaired quality of life in individuals with an altered skin barrier.
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of allergies increases worldwide. Allergies may increase the risk of skin reactions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of allergies and skin reactions in the adult population, the strength of their relationship, and their impact on the quality of life. METHODS: An online survey was conducted in a representative population of 11,067 adults from China, USA, Brazil, Russia, and France. RESULTS: Overall, 35.6% of respondents reported having allergies, they were predominantly fair-skinned women, and younger than responders reporting no allergy. Among patients reporting allergies, 68.6% declared that their allergy makes their skin reacts. A strong association between allergy and major skin reactions was observed, which were associated with skin discomforts such as itching, burning, and pain. Skin discomforts were associated with an increased risk of quality of life alteration. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifying the prevalence and the association of allergies with skin reactions and discomfort sensations is critical to evaluating the impact on quality of life. Since skin barrier alteration is hypothesized as a risk factor and a route of sensitization for allergy development, the daily use of topical treatments, such as moisturizers, could help prevent allergic skin reactions, discomfort and impaired quality of life in individuals with an altered skin barrier.
Authors: Nikolaos G Papadopoulos; Ioana Agache; Sevim Bavbek; Beatrice M Bilo; Fulvio Braido; Victoria Cardona; Adnan Custovic; Jan Demonchy; Pascal Demoly; Philippe Eigenmann; Jacques Gayraud; Clive Grattan; Enrico Heffler; Peter W Hellings; Marek Jutel; Edward Knol; Jan Lötvall; Antonella Muraro; Lars K Poulsen; Graham Roberts; Peter Schmid-Grendelmeier; Chrysanthi Skevaki; Massimo Triggiani; Ronald Vanree; Thomas Werfel; Breda Flood; Susanna Palkonen; Roberta Savli; Pia Allegri; Isabella Annesi-Maesano; Francesco Annunziato; Dario Antolin-Amerigo; Christian Apfelbacher; Miguel Blanca; Ewa Bogacka; Patrizia Bonadonna; Matteo Bonini; Onur Boyman; Knut Brockow; Peter Burney; Jeroen Buters; Indre Butiene; Moises Calderon; Lars Olaf Cardell; Jean-Christoph Caubet; Sevcan Celenk; Ewa Cichocka-Jarosz; Cemal Cingi; Mariana Couto; Nicolette Dejong; Stefano Del Giacco; Nikolaos Douladiris; Filippo Fassio; Jean-Luc Fauquert; Javier Fernandez; Montserrat Fernandez Rivas; Marta Ferrer; Carsten Flohr; James Gardner; Jon Genuneit; Philippe Gevaert; Anna Groblewska; Eckard Hamelmann; Hans Jürgen Hoffmann; Karin Hoffmann-Sommergruber; Lilit Hovhannisyan; Valérie Hox; Frode L Jahnsen; Omer Kalayci; Ayse Füsun Kalpaklioglu; Jörg Kleine-Tebbe; George Konstantinou; Marcin Kurowski; Susanne Lau; Roger Lauener; Antti Lauerma; Kirsty Logan; Antoine Magnan; Joanna Makowska; Heidi Makrinioti; Paraskevi Mangina; Felicia Manole; Adriano Mari; Angel Mazon; Clare Mills; Ervinç Mingomataj; Bodo Niggemann; Gunnar Nilsson; Markus Ollert; Liam O'Mahony; Serena O'Neil; Gianni Pala; Alberto Papi; Gianni Passalacqua; Michael Perkin; Oliver Pfaar; Constantinos Pitsios; Santiago Quirce; Ulrike Raap; Monika Raulf-Heimsoth; Claudio Rhyner; Paula Robson-Ansley; Rodrigo Rodrigues Alves; Zeljka Roje; Carmen Rondon; Odilija Rudzeviciene; Franziska Ruëff; Maia Rukhadze; Gabriele Rumi; Cansin Sackesen; Alexandra F Santos; Annalisa Santucci; Christian Scharf; Carsten Schmidt-Weber; Benno Schnyder; Jürgen Schwarze; Gianenrico Senna; Svetlana Sergejeva; Sven Seys; Andrea Siracusa; Isabel Skypala; Milena Sokolowska; Francois Spertini; Radoslaw Spiewak; Aline Sprikkelman; Gunter Sturm; Ines Swoboda; Ingrid Terreehorst; Elina Toskala; Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann; Carina Venter; Berber Vlieg-Boerstra; Paul Whitacker; Margitta Worm; Paraskevi Xepapadaki; Cezmi A Akdis Journal: Clin Transl Allergy Date: 2012-11-02 Impact factor: 5.871