Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of unclear etiopathogenesis. It belongs to the group of atopic diseases and an IgE-mediated uptake and antigen focusing of environmental allergens by IgE-bearing dendritic cells is assumed to be a central immunopathogenetic event resulting in clinical appearance of AD. In case of non-allergic (intrinsic) type of AD, non IgE-related factors are involved in the process. Potential immunological and clinical differences between allergic and non-allergic type of the disease are still being investigated. The aim of our study was to evaluate prevalence of non-allergic and allergic type of AD among patients of Allergic Diseases Diagnostic Center, University of Medical Sciences in Poznań between 2001 and 2002. We investigated 161 patients with AD and selected factors influencing course of the disease such as age, gender, month of birth, population of the region and characteristics of sensitizing allergens were analyzed. Allergological diagnostics consisted of skin prick tests and measurements of total and antigen specific IgE concentrations in sera of investigated patients (FEIA CAP). Non-allergic type of AD was registered in 38.5% of the investigated population. There was no significant difference between allergic and non-allergic type of AD in terms of month of birth and living conditions (urban areas or countryside). Especially in the case of children evaluations of total and antigen specific IgE serum concentrations were helpful in verification of skin prick test results. In the group of patients with allergic type of AD grass pollen allergens were sensitizing most frequently and finally type of sensitizing airborne allergens may be at least partially related to the environmental characteristics of the region.