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Of, relating to, or caused by a hereditary predisposition toward developing certain hypersensitivity reactions, such as hay fever, asthma, or chronic urticaria, upon exposure to specific antigens: atopic dermatitis.
[From Greek atopiā, unusualness, from atopos, out of the way : a-, not; see a–1 + topos, place.]
atopy at'o·py (ăt'ə-pē) n.(atopic hypersensitivity, “spontaneous” clinical allergy), a group of “allergic” disorders showing a marked familial distribution; although the susceptibility appears to be inherited, contact with the antigen must occur before hypersensitivity can develop. Disorders include asthma or hay fever resulting from pollens and gastrointestinal tract and skin reactions resulting from food.
Form of allergy in which there is a hereditary or constitutional predisposition to develop hypersensitivity to allergens (e.g. atopic eczema and allergic asthma).
A clinical syndrome involving type I hypersensitivity (allergy) with a hereditary predisposition. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is involved.
| ICD-10 | L20 |
|---|---|
| ICD-9 | 691 |
Atopy (Greek ατοπία - placelessness) or atopic syndrome is an allergic hypersensitivity affecting parts of the body not in direct contact with the allergen. It may involve eczema (atopic dermatitis), allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma. There appears to be a strong hereditary component. One study concludes that "the general risk of developing atopic dermatitis (3%) and atopy (7%) increases by a factor of two with each first-degree family member already suffering from atopy" [1].
The hereditary component is presumably due to certain genes coding proteins involved in the normal immune response mechanism, i.e., human leukocyte antigen, although environmental factors have also been implicated. Atopic syndrome can be fatal for those who experience serious allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis, brought on by reactions to food or environment.
The individual components are all caused at least in part by allergy (type I hypersensitivity
reactions). These responses appear after the body is exposed to various allergens, for example
specific kinds of food, pollen, dander or insect venoms. Although atopy has various definitions, most consistently it is defined by the presence of elevated
levels of total and allergen-specific IgE in the
The multicenter PARSIFAL study in 2006, involving 6630 children age 5 to 13 in 5 European countries, suggested that restrictive use of antibiotics and antipyretics, are associated with a reduced risk of allergic disease in children.[2]
Some symptoms, from an atopy questionnaire[3]:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Atopy". Read more |
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