Children With Atopic Dermatitis Show Hypersensory Profile

Responses to a sensory profile questionnaire indicate that children with atopic dermatitis (AD) have hypersensory sensitivity, according to Israeli researchers.Senior investigator Dr. Ayelet Shani-Adir told Reuters Health that this was the first time such a study has been conducted. "We believe," she added, "that understanding the sensory and behavioral characteristics of AD patients can promote a multidisciplinary intervention program for children with AD and improve their quality of life."
As reported in the October issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dr. Shani-Adir of Haemeq Medical Center, Afula and colleagues used the Short Sensory Profile, which covers a range of sensory modalities including tactile sensitivity and taste and smell, to study 53 patients with atopic dermatitis and 61 healthy controls aged 3 to 10 years.Assessment included behaviors such as avoidance of being barefoot in sand or grass, fear of falling, and reacting emotionally to touch.The AD children "had significantly higher sensory sensitivity than the control group (p = 0.013) ... in all sensory modalities except vestibular sensation," the investigators found. The highest difference was in the tactile subscale.The researchers therefore call for larger and more detailed studies of the sensory modulation dysfunction in this population in order "to promote development of effective intervention processes."
J Am Acad Dermatol 2007