What is atopy?

Atopy is derived from the Greek word atopos, meaning “out-of-place,” and refers to the predisposition to develop dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis. The surfaces where the body contacts the external environment are “overreactive” (the lower airways in asthma, the upper airways and conjunctiva in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and the skin in atopic dermatitis).

“Atopic dermatitis is not an allergic disease, but a skin disease with allergies” (Jon Hanifin, Dermatology Foundation Clinical Symposia, 2007): upper airway (allergic rhinitis) or lower airway (allergic asthma). For example, atopic dermatitis typically improves in the spring when allergic rhinitis is at its peak.