title: Iontophoretic study of skin vessel reactivity in atopic dermatitis and its correlation to serum IgE levels.
abstract: Skin vessel reactivity was studied by means of an iontophoretic technique in 19 adult patients with atopic dermatitis. Fifteen patients were available for reinvestigation some 6 months later in winter. Compared with a control group, we found a significantly increased sensitivity in summer of dermal skin vessels toward the alpha 1-agonist phenylephrine. Patients with elevated serum IgE levels seemed to be more sensitive to phenylephrine. However, the difference was not significant. Isoproterenol, the beta-adrenoceptor agonist, induced blanching (as opposed to erythema) in 7 of 19 (37%) atopic dermatitis patients in summer and in 9 of 15 (60%) in winter compared with 1 of 36 in the control groups. This blanching was antagonized by the alpha-blocker phentolamine. From the results we concluded that there may be an increased alpha-adrenoceptor reactivity and/or a decreased beta-adrenoceptor reactivity in atopic dermatitis patients, which might be a primary defect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hörnqvist
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Henriksson
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bäck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000187:drug effects*; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis*; D007478:Iontophoresis; D007545:Isoproterenol; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008688:Methacholine Compounds; D010656:Phenylephrine; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*
chemical_list: D008688:Methacholine Compounds; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D010656:Phenylephrine; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D007545:Isoproterenol