Effect of Oral Steroids on Skin Outcomes in Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic Dermatitis (AD), also known as eczema, is a common skin disease characterized by itchy lesions. The prevalence of AD has increased over the past few decades, with 15-30% of children and 2-10% of adults being affected. The lesions of atopic dermatitis patients are very inflamed, with an increased number of inflammatory cells in the skin. The first line treatment for AD is steroids, which reduce inflammation in the skin. There are several ways to measure if the treatment is effective, including clinical and cellular. We are proposing that a controlled skin allergen challenge will be an effective way to measure the effect of steroid at a cellular level through the measurement of inflammatory cells in the late cutaneous response. This will be examined using a placebo-controlled trial.