2.1 | Study population
Patients with AD who came to the Dermatological Department of Kobe University Hospital and agreed to participate in the study were enrolled. AD was diagnosed in accordance with the criteria in the Guidelines for Atopic Dermatitis.29, 30 Disease activity in AD patients was assessed by EASI score. Moderate to severe AD patients were mainly enrolled in the study and their median EASI score was 18.5 (Table S1). Patients who had been treated with dupilumab, oral corticosteroids, or immunosuppressants including cyclosporin and those who had cancer were excluded from the study. HCs without current or previous symptoms of AD who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study were enrolled. Among the HCs, those with allergic disease (allergic rhinitis, asthma, food allergy, allergic conjunctivitis, or urticaria) were excluded from the study. Blood samples from HCs were used for flow cytometric analysis. All participants provided verbal and written informed consent for inclusion in the study.