The Research Progress on the Relationship Between Asthma and Skin Barrier Damage

Asthma is a common and refractory chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, with its acute episodes governed by a multitude of factors. The postulation that skin barrier damage poses a direct threat to respiratory system health is gaining traction. In fact, asthma is closely associated with various skin barrier dysfunction–associated diseases such as atopic dermatitis and atopic eczema. Patients with atopic eczema frequently exhibit concomitant atopic dermatitis, whereas asthma is often accompanied by allergic rhinitis, constituting the classic pattern of the “allergic march”. Mechanistically, these conditions share key pathological features, including genetic susceptibility (such as filaggrin (FLG) gene mutations), immune dysregulation characterized by a predominantly T helper 2 (Th2) type inflammatory response, and epithelial barrier dysfunction. Environmental factors, such as dust mite allergens, induce systemic sensitization by damaging the skin barrier, subsequently triggering airway inflammation. Targeted therapies have shown significant efficacy in both severe asthma and atopic dermatitis, highlighting a potential pathogenic pathway shared by the two conditions. In this paper, we review the relationships between asthma and skin barrier damage from a mechanistic viewpoint, thereby providing an important theoretical basis for the early prevention and precise treatment strategies of allergic diseases with overlapping pathogenic pathways.