The purpose of this study was to determine whether the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) and concomitant atopic diseases correlate with one's history of herpes simplex (HSV) infections. Previous studies have shown that high serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and high severity of AD are connected with eczema herpeticum infections. 459 patients, whose history of HSV infections was known, were assessed in this study. The dependency between these possibly predisposing factors and history of HSV infections was analysed using chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis –tests, and relationship was further investigated in multinomial logistic regression to determine odds ratios. Age, allergic conjunctivitis and asthma were shown to have a statistically significant correlation with history of recurrent herpes infections or eczema herpeticum. Because of the setting of this study further follow-up is required to better assess the effect of serum IgE levels and severity of AD on the incidence of herpes simplex infections.
