ATOPIC DERMATITIS – THE IMPACT OF LIFESTYLE ON THE COURSE OF THIS DISEASE

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and recurrent skin disease. It is important that allergic diseases occur among people with a genetic predisposition. The aim of the article was to present basic knowledge about this disease, factors aggravating its course and the ability of medics to identify and eliminate causal factors because effective treatment of this chronic disease depends on the understanding of the disease’s nature. It is believed that the increase in the incidence of allergies is also connected with the so-called “western lifestyle”. Psychosomatic factors may intensify disease symptoms. Great importance in the formation of atopic dermatitis and provoking exacerbations of symptoms is attributed to environmental factors, which include climatic conditions. These conditions directly affect the skin-epidermal barrier via temperature, degree of humidity or sunlight. A significant role is also attributed to environmental pollution. Climatic conditions affect the development of potential allergens. There are also reports in the literature about the coexistence of gluten-dependent enteropathy among patients with atopic dermatitis. Moreover, there are grounds to introduce an antihistamine diet because histamine is important in the pathomechanism of itching. In-depth assessment of children with AD can be a helpful weapon in the fig ht against the disease. Appropriate diet of people with AD can be an important element of therapy