Atopic dermatitis in cats and dogs: a difficult disease for animals and owners

Abstract

The purpose of this review article is to give an overview of atopic dermatitis in companion animals and of recent developments including knowledge on immunological background, novel treatment options and difficulties in disease management. The prevalence of hypersensitivities seems to be increasing. The pathogenetic mechanisms are not fully understood, yet multiple gene abnormalities and altered immunological processes are involved. In dogs and cats, the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis is based on history, clinical examination and exclusion of other differential diagnoses. Intradermal testing or testing for serum allergen-specific Immunoglobulin E is only used to identify allergens for inclusion in the extract for allergen immunotherapy. Symptomatic therapy includes glucocorticoids, ciclosporin, essential fatty acids and antihistamines. A selective janus kinase 1 inhibitor and a caninized monoclonal interleukin-31 antibody are the newest options for symptomatic treatment, although longterm effects still need to be assessed. The chronic and often severe nature of the disease, the costly diagnostic workup, frequent clinical flares and lifelong treatment are challenging for owners, pets and veterinarians. Patience and excellent communication skills are needed to achieve a good owner compliance and satisfactory clinical outcome for the animal.

IgE reactivity to fish allergens in Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in atopic dogs

“…Animal models are beneficial to test food allergies as they provide a more rapid and extensive evaluation of allergenicity of certain foods [9]. Dogs are under intense investigation as a useful model to study IgE-mediated hypersensitivity by demonstrating the production of specific IgE to crude extracts and positive oral challenges similar to those observed in human subjects [10][11][12], as they are one of the species other than humans in which allergies develop naturally following environmental exposure to a broad spectrum of allergens, including foods [13,14]. Disease states in dogs include atopic dermatitis, gastroenteric inflammation, and anaphylaxis [15,16].…”

IgE reactivity to fish allergens from Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in atopic dogs

“…Canine species are under extensive investigation as useful models in the study of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity as they produce speci c IgE to crude extracts and encounter positive oral challenges similar to those observed in human subjects [10][11][12]. This could be attributed to the fact that similar to that in humans, allergies in canines develop naturally following environmental exposure to a broad spectrum of allergens, including those present in food products [13,14]. Allergic diseases in canines include atopic dermatitis, gastroenteric in ammation, and anaphylaxis [15,16].…”

Multidose intramuscular allogeneic adipose stem cells decrease the severity of canine atopic dermatitis: A pilot study

“…Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a common, genetically predisposed inflammatory and pruritic allergic skin disease with characteristic clinical features [1,2], having a prevalence of 20-30% [3]. In terms of origin, this disease is complex and multifactorial and involves genetic factors [4,5], immune dysregulation, allergic sensitization, skin barrier defects, cutaneous microbiome, and environmental factors [6][7][8]. The pathogenesis of canine and human atopic dermatitis is not fully understood [9].…”