Did John Phillip Sousa write the “Atopic March?”

No, but if he did, it would have a lot of scratching, sneezing, and wheezing coming from the percussion section! The atopic march is not music but the subsequent development of allergic rhinitis (70%) and/or asthma (50%) in patients with atopic dermatitis. Filaggrin mutations predispose to airway disease in atopic dermatitis patients. Evidence points to the necessity of epicutaneous exposure to allergens (e.g., dust mites) that cause allergic airway disease in these patients. If infants with atopic dermatitis have good barrier protection, it is likely that the airway disease of the atopic march can be prevented!

Marenholz I: Filaggrin loss-of-function mutations predispose to phenotypes involved in the atopic march, J Allergy Clin Immunol 118(4):866–871, 2006.