# Predicting Role of Interleukin‐33 in Determining the Development and Severity of Atopic Dermatitis

## TL;DR

This study explores how interleukin-33 (IL-33) levels in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) are linked to disease severity, offering potential as a biomarker for predicting AD severity.

## Contribution

The study identifies IL-33 as a potential biomarker for predicting AD severity, showing stronger correlation than IgE.

## Key findings

- Serum IL-33 levels were significantly higher in children with AD compared to healthy controls.
- IL-33 levels strongly predicted AD severity with high sensitivity and specificity.
- IgE levels showed limited utility in predicting AD severity compared to IL-33.

## Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD), also referred to as atopic eczema, is one of the most common immunological disorders in children. Previous studies have suggested potential roles of interleukin‐33 (IL‐33) in the onset and progression of AD. This study investigated whether serum IL‐33 levels in children with AD are associated with disease severity, immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitization to food or environmental allergens, and serum IgE concentration.

The study included 62 children with newly diagnosed AD and 30 age‐matched healthy controls. Following an interview and confirmation of disease severity, 3mL of venous blood was collected from each participant. Sensitization to allergens was assessed using a skin prick test. Serum IL‐33 (ng/L) and IgE (IU/mL) levels were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Among the 62 children with AD, 51 (82.3%) were sensitized to food allergens, whereas 11 (17.7%) were sensitized to environmental allergens. Most patients (75.8%) had mild AD. Serum IL‐33 and IgE levels were significantly elevated in patients compared with healthy controls. Both IL‐33 and IgE concentrations were significantly associated with moderate AD. However, IL‐33 levels were not correlated with age, gender, or allergen type. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that IgE levels demonstrated moderate diagnostic performance for AD (AUCc0.758), while IL‐33 showed weaker diagnostic value (AUC = 0.678). For predicting disease severity, IL‐33 exhibited strong performance, with the highest sensitivity (85.71%) and maximum specificity (70.21%) at a cut‐off of 331.32 ng/L (AUC = 0.862). In contrast, IgE was not a reliable predictor of AD severity.

Serum IL‐33 levels are significantly correlated with AD severity and may serve as a predictive biomarker, whereas IgE shows limited utility for severity assessment. Further studies are warranted to validate the clinical applicability of IL‐33 in AD management.