Descendant family history of atopic dermatitis.

Descendant family history of atopic dermatitis was examined in 270 adult patients with this skin disease and their 529 children. Of the 529 children, 316 (60%) had a history of atopic dermatitis. Boys and girls were equally affected. The prevalence of affected children was 56% (180/321) in those patients whose spouses did not have a history of both atopic dermatitis and respiratory atopy, 81% (48/59) in those patients whose spouses had a history of atopic dermatitis, and 59% (88/149) in those patients whose spouses had a history of respiratory atopy only. These results indicate that the mode of inheritance of atopic dermatitis is autosomal dominant. They also suggest that the genetic background of atopic dermatitis is not identical with that of respiratory atopy.