異位性皮膚炎（atopic dermatitis, AD）是一種慢性發炎皮膚疾病，病患常會因為極度的癢而不斷搔抓皮膚，造成嚴重的濕疹反應。近年來大型資料庫研究發現，AD的病患，具有較高的氣喘、焦慮、抑鬱、自體免疫疾病、糖尿病、高血壓、心臟病、腦中風盛行率。我們最近的研究也發現，AD的嚴重度與持續時間，與自體免疫疾病、異位性體質、眼部疾病、慢性蕁麻疹、代謝性疾病、缺血性心臟病與腦血管疾病有顯著相關，因此現在認為AD也是一種全身性的發炎性疾病，最新的AD治療觀念除了針對皮膚發炎的抗發炎治療外，也需要考慮全身性抗發炎治療的可能性與優勢。

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by intense pruritus, resulting in itch-scratch cycle and severe eczema. Recently, several large database studies found AD patients have higher prevalence of asthma, anxiety, depression, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, hypertension, cardiac diseases, and stroke. Our studies also revealed higher prevalence of autoimmune diseases, atopic disorders, ocular disorders, chronic urticaria, metabolic syndrome, ischemic heart disease, and cerebral vascular diseases; the association is positively correlated with the severity and persistence of AD. It is now considered that AD is a systemic inflammatory disease requiring systemic anti-inflammatory therapies rather than only skin-directed topical therapies.