Malassezia specific IgE in head and neck dermatitis of eczema: A systematic review & meta-analysis

Head and neck atopic dermatitis (HNAD) is a subtype of atopic dermatitis (AD), a common inflammatory skin condition with a distinctive clinical appearance. Malassezia spp., a predominant skin yeast, is considered to exacerbate HNAD. In this study, we investigate the prevalence of Malassezia-specific IgE among HNAD patients. A comprehensive search was performed for observational studies analysing the association between Malassezia-specific IgE and HNAD. This study was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 checklist and quality was assessed via the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). Fourteen observational studies (840 patients) were included in the analysis. 58% of HNAD patients were male (95% CI: 45.2–69.7). Overall prevalence of Malassezia-specific IgE among HNAD patients was 79.3% (95% CI: 57.5–91.5). Prevalence of Malassezia-specific IgE among HNAD patients varied significantly between geographical regions (p = 0.0441), with 88% in non-Asian regions (95% CI: 61.06–97.17) and 54.73% in Asian regions (95% CI: 34.36–73.63). Malassezia-specific IgE prevalence among HNAD patients varied significantly among studies of higher and lower NOS quality score (p = 0.0386), with 95.42% in studies with NOS ≥7 (95% CI: 63.54–99.60) and 58.05% in studies with NOS <7 (95% CI: 41.44–73.01). Malassezia-specific IgE prevalence among HNAD patients did not vary significantly between more and less predominant Malassezia species (p = 0.1048). Malassezia spp. plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of HNAD, and IgE anti-Malassezia antibodies appeared to be a common marker for HNAD. Understanding the pathophysiology of Malassezia in HNAD can help develop more targeted therapeutic approaches in managing AD.